5 batsmen who scored the most runs in their respective last Tests

More often than not, performances in the latter stages of any accomplished cricketer's career tend to linger much longer in the memory than those displayed in the preceding matches. In particular, the last act of a long-serving batsman is awaited with nostalgic fervour. While the vast majority can be construed as being consumed by the significance of the occasion, there have also been quite a few stalwarts who left a lasting impression with their parting efforts.

In ascending order, let us take an in-depth look at five batsmen who have scored the most runs in their respective final appearances in Test cricket. Their combined tallies of runs across both innings of the relevant matches are utilised to enumerate these masterful batsmen.

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5. Pieter van der Bijl - 125 & 97

One of South Africa's early cricketing heroes, Pieter van der Bijl, played five Tests in the 1938/39 season. He came into prominence while playing for Oxford University. Even though he was initially ostracised for his stubbornness at the crease, the tall batsman reinvented his approach to meet the evolving dynamics of the game. A fruitful second coming with Western Province propelled him into the reckoning for national selection.

After a sedate initiation into the highest level, Pieter showcased his prowess by scoring a resilient century in the first innings of the Timeless Test against England at Durban in 1939. He came within three runs of replicating his feat in the second innings as well. Wally Hammond's visiting team eventually held out for a draw.

Upon being severely wounded while serving in North Africa during the Second World War, Pieter's promising cricket career came to a rather premature end. His son, Vince, would later be denied his rightful shot at Test cricket due to the ramifications of the Apartheid Era.

4. Jack Russell - 140 & 111

Jack Russell (right) played ten Tests for England in the early 1920s

To those who grew up in the 1990s, the name 'Jack Russell' may instantly trigger memories of England's moustachioed wicket-keeper batsman who was never short of enthusiasm. However, long before his time, another Jack Russell (born Charles Albert George Russell) played ten Tests for the Old Blighty with great distinction. He was the first England batsman to score a century in both innings of a Test match.

Russell accomplished the unprecedented feat in his final appearance for his country. During the fifth Test of the 1923 series against South Africa, he adapted splendidly to the vagaries of the matting pitch at Durban and reached three figures in both innings. If his 140 in the first innings was instrumental to England's surge towards a competitive total, the right-hander dropped down from the opening slot to number six in the second innings.

Even as the other England batsmen were struggling for form, Russell battled illness to contribute an invaluable 111. His quick knock helped set a formidable target for South Africa, who subsequently fell short to hand the series to the visitors. Recurrent bouts with illness and the emergence of other alternatives meant that the powerful performance was his last at Test level.

3. Seymour Nurse - 258

Seymour Nurse is one of the finest batsmen to emerge from Barbados

Despite being surrounded by plenty of exalted names such as Sir Garry Sobers, Sir Conrad Hunte, and Rohan Kanhai, Seymour Nurse managed to carve a niche for himself in the West Indies lineup. After overcoming quite a few stutters in the initial stages of his career, he went on to form an integral component of their middle-order.

Seymour saved his very best for his last Test series. With 558 runs from three matches at an average of 111.60, including two centuries, he topped the batting charts in the tour of New Zealand in 1969. After helping the visitors chase a mammoth fourth-innings target in Auckland, he came up with a resplendent double century to ensure a stalemate in the third Test at Christchurch. His 258 set the foundation for West Indies' strong first-innings total. Despite his stunning knock, the hosts resisted adeptly to share the spoils from the series.

2. Bill Ponsford - 266 & 22

Bill Ponsford (left) striding out to bat alongside Stan McCabe

Possessing an insatiable appetite for runs and endless reservoirs of concentration, Bill Ponsford regularly amassed 'daddy hundreds' right throughout his career. As was the norm during those days, he played only 29 Tests in a career spanning nearly ten years. Forming one of cricket's greatest opening combinations with fellow Victorian Bill Woodfull, the right-hander continued to amass runs across all levels with unperturbed ruthlessness.

With the infamous Bodyline series of 1932/33 leaving him wearier than ever, Ponsford called it quits following the conclusion of the 1934 Ashes series on English shores. In the deciding Test of the series at The Oval, he hammered 266 from 422 balls and put on a record-breaking 451-run partnership for the second wicket with Sir Don Bradman. The colossal stand deflated the spirits of England and set the platform for Australia's resounding 562-run triumph.

1. Andy Sandham - 325 & 50

Andy Sandham scored the first triple century in Test cricket during his final appearance

With Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe joining hands to form an impenetrable nexus at the top of the order, Andy Sandham's Test career was restricted to just 14 matches. Yet, in his last act, the man left an indelible legacy by fashioning a world record of his own.

During the 1930 Jamaica Test, Sandham became the first batsman in Test history to score a triple century. Interestingly, his historical feat came at a time when the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) sent separate England squads to tour West Indies and New Zealand for simultaneous Test matches.

During the last Test of the four-match series, Sandham feasted on a moderate West Indies bowling attack and accumulated a marathon knock of 325 encompassing almost ten hours at the crease. With England not enforcing the follow-on, he even added a fifty in the second innings to swell his match tally to a jaw-dropping 375 runs. Even though the match petered out to a tame draw, the then 39-year old's record-breaking knock ensured that the scorecard would endure the test of time.