Five most thrilling Test draws of the last decade

The charm that the longest format of cricket brings not only comprises the stern test of skill and character of 22 players, but also the unique quality of producing drawn games full of excitement and pleasure – often matches whose fate is decided by the final ball on the fifth day.

Many humdingers have taken place ever since Test cricket, the most engrossing form of the game, has been formed, with matches even decided by bad light – the final Ashes Test in England in 2013 – and poor weather – the Cape Town Test between South Africa and England in 2016, where rain had its share in ensuring an abruptly interesting game ended in a draw.

Here we list some nail-biting draws that have taken place in the previous decade.

#5 South Africa vs India: Johannesburg, 2013

India 280 & 421 drew with South Africa 244 & 450/7

Having lost the three-match ODI series 0-2 – one game was washed out – India were eager to hit back on a tour that had given them nothing but disappointment. MS Dhoni elected to bat on a Wanderers pitch expected to provide good pace and bounce.

A young Virat Kohli, who hit 119, remained the only hefty contributor as India folded for 280, with the accurate Vernon Philander picking 4/61. In return, the hosts fell short of a modest opposition score to themselves make only 244, with Ishant Sharma and the returning Zaheer Khan snaring four scalps each, as captain Graeme Smith top-scored with 68.

With a paltry first-innings lead in India’s pocket, two emerging batsmen in Kohli and Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara strung together the joint-highest partnership by an Indian pair in South Africa. They added 222 for the third wicket as Pujara smashed 153 and Kohli fell short of another ton by just four runs. India were eventually bowled out for 421, setting the Proteas 458 to win in 136 overs.

From a stable 108/0, South Africa sniffed defeat when the scoreboard read 197/4, with India having 75 overs to take the remaining wickets. But the grit of centurions AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis consumed 62 of those, as they added 205 for the fifth wicket. With 16 to get in 3.1 overs and the tail exposed, remarkably, both teams gave up on a win, setting their sights on the final Test of the series.

#4 New Zealand vs England: Auckland, 2013

Matt Prior and Monty Panesar safely negotiated 19 balls to secure a draw for England

New Zealand 443 & 241/6 declared drew with England 204 & 315/9

Alastair Cook inserted New Zealand to bat at Eden Park, and with both matches of the series thus far ending in draws, the final game was all the more important. Peter Fulton got 136 and Kane Williamson missed out on a century of his own, as the hosts racked up 443, with Steven Finn bagging 6/125.

England’s batting crumbled under the sharpness of Trent Boult, who finished with 6/68, as the tourists failed to save the follow-on and wrapped up for 204, Matt Prior offering the only major hand with 73.

Brendon McCullum chose to bat again and once more, Fulton contributed 110. Skipper McCullum himself tonked 67* with 5 fours and 3 sixes, as the Black Caps aimed to accumulate rapid runs. New Zealand declared on 241/6, with 143 overs left to skittle out a demoralized England unit. With an unlikely 481 to get, the blocking began with Cook at the top and continued with Ian Bell, who ate up 271 balls for 75.

Victory for New Zealand was almost assured with Prior the only recognised batsman at 237/7 and nearly 33 overs in hand. Then commenced rearguard action that saw Stuart Broad threaten the record for most deliveries to get off the mark – he eventually scored off his 62nd ball – but both Broad and James Anderson fell in the same over of part-timer Williamson, who bagged 4/44.

Prior then had to negotiate 19 balls with Monty Panesar. Finally, both survived the venom of Boult to ensure England left with the series locked at 0-0.

#3 India vs West Indies: Mumbai, 2011

The Test between India and West Indies in Mumbai in 2011 ended with the scores level, only the second such instance in Test history

West Indies 590 & 134 drew with India 482 & 242/9

With the series already gone, Darren Sammy wished to salvage some pride, and his batsmen responded perfectly. At the Wankhede Stadium, Darren Bravo’s 166 and five half-centuries in the top six shot West Indies’ score to a massive 590, with Ravichandran Ashwin, with 5/156, the pick of the bowlers.

It was again Ashwin’s turn to frustrate the visitors, as he top-scored with a maiden Test century – a confident 103. Four fifties in the middle-order propelled India to a fighting 482, with Marlon Samuels and Ravi Rampaul accounting for three wickets apiece.

Sensing the turn which the track had begun to offer, MS Dhoni handed over the new ball to Pragyan Ojha, a move which worked wonders. The left-arm spinner extracted plenty of spin and bounce from the surface to finish with 6/47, and his cohort Ashwin bagged the remaining wickets to arise a sudden interest in a run fest of a match so far. West Indies managed a mere 134 and that set India 243 in 64 overs on the final day.

Virender Sehwag began in his usual urgent manner to smash 60 off 65 balls, but India lost their way as only Virat Kohli could capitalize on that start. When he fell for 63, India required 19 off 4.5 overs with Ashwin at the crease. Ashwin brought it down to 1 off 1, but could not scrape through for a single and was run out to end a Test level pegging for the second time in history.

#2 South Africa vs England: Cape Town, 2010

Graeme Swann and Graham Onions survived for 3.1 overs to fashion the second thrilling draw of the series

South Africa 291 & 447/7 declared drew with England 273 & 296/9

The series had already witnessed a thrilling draw in the first Test when England desperately survived in the closing stages of the final day, and a similar script unfolded in the third Test. James Anderson picked up 5/63 and removed both openers to quash South Africa's hopes of building a solid foundation for a big first innings total, but a valiant 108 from Jacques Kallis pushed the hosts to 291.

In the field, the pairing of the tall and elegant Morne Morkel and the furious Dale Steyn gave the Proteas a first-innings advantage as England were bowled out for 273. Morkel got 5/75 and Steyn 4/74 with Matt Prior leading the batting with 76.

A meagre 18-run lead swelled into a massive one with captain Graeme Smith accumulating 183, and stitching together 230 runs with Hashim Amla, who fell for 95. Late bursts from JP Duminy and Mark Boucher stretched the score to 447/7, and England were set a target of 466.

A sound opening partnership of 101 sowed the seeds of faint hope for the touring side before that became 160/5 with Steyn and Paul Harris combining to pick two each. That led to a recovery by Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell, who brought their experience into play by stringing together 112.

Part-timer Duminy broke the stand with Bell the ninth man to depart, asking the final two tailenders to negotiate 3.1 overs, which Graeme Swann and Graham Onions successfully did to leave South Africa fuming.

#1 England vs Australia: Cardiff, 2009

James Anderson and Monty Panesar secured a draw for England

England 435 & 252/9 drew with Australia 674/6 declared

At Cardiff, which became the hundredth Test venue, fans could not have asked for anything more dramatic. England batted first and decent contributions sprinkled throughout took them to a hefty 435. Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Hauritz shared six wickets as Kevin Pietersen top-scored with 69.

Then began the drama. Persistent rain stalled Australia’s innings multiple times but first Simon Katich and captain Ricky Ponting, who added 239 for the second wicket, and then Marcus North and Brad Haddin, who tallied 200 for the sixth, hit centuries to post a mammoth 674/6, at which point Ponting declared.

With England facing a huge 239-run deficit, the fourth day ended with the hosts jostling at 20/2. Come the fifth morning, Pietersen made a massive blunder by shouldering arms to a straight ball from Ben Hilfenhaus, which crashed into his stumps. Regular strikes by Hilfenhaus, Johnson and Hauritz kept England in check with the final moments looming.

With England supporters having one eye on the remaining arrears and another on the clock – a change of innings would have consumed ten minutes had Australia been forced to bat – Peter Siddle removed Paul Collingwood with England still six runs adrift.

The final pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar called on their physio for a check-up and twelfth man for changing gloves to eat up time, which Ponting could not swallow, and in the end, the match finished with England not only having erased the lead, but also having secured a draw.