5 times a No. 11 saved a Test for his team

One of the most fundamental differences between limited overs cricket and Test cricket is that a match that cannot be won must not necessarily be lost.

Even if all seems lost and the 4th innings winning target too far away, the last wicket can buckle down to force a draw. That said, the last wicket pair comprising of the number 11 hardly ever manages to do so and that is why it takes a special effort for the last man in to save a Test for his country.

Throughout the history of Test cricket, only a handful of games have been saved by the last wicket and on each occasion, the opposition has ended up feeling hard done by.

After all, no one expects the worst batsman in the side to put up much of a resistance. Here is a look at 5 of those occasions when the number 11 put up stern resistance and helped his team to victory against all odds.

5 Monty Panesar somehow survives at Auckland, 2013

Having dominated England in the 3rd Test of the series in Auckland, New Zealand set the visitors an improbable target of 481 in the 4th innings. England's sole purpose was to somehow survive in excess of 140 overs in order to save the Test. They reduced England to 237-7 and it looked like the end was near.

Although wicketkeeper Matt Prior along with the tailenders offered stiff resistance, New Zealand seemed to have the game wrapped up when they got the wickets of Stuart Broad and James Anderson in quick succession.

Around three overs were left and everyone expected last man Monty Panesar to roll over. In the company of Prior, Panesar defended stoutly and lasted 20 minutes for his 2 runs off 5 deliveries to save the Test for England.

That said, each of those deliveries was an ordeal for him as New Zealand had put 9 men around the bat.

4 Alan Connolly keeps Sobers and Griffith at bay, Adelaide, 1969

Not many batsmen could stand up to the combined might of Garry Sobers, Charlie Griffith and off spin ace Lance Gibbs back in the day when they ruled the roost. However, when it comes to saving a Test match and surviving against that trio as a number 11, then it is a wholly different challenge.

West Indies recovered superbly in the 4th Test of the 5 match series at Adelaide by posting 616 in their 2nd innings and setting Australia a target of 360. After having tried gamely, the Australians suffered a collapse and medium pacer Alan Connolly, the number 11 was left to stave off defeat in the company of batsman Paul Sheahan.

He survived for 17 minutes and played out of 10 deliveries, one of which he even hit for four. Australia closed out the innings at 339/9 and drew the game.

3 England run into a determined Fidel Edwards, St. John's, 2009

The 3rd Test of the 5 match series in between West Indies and England at St John's saw an incredible rearguard from the hosts' number 11 Fidel Edwards. England had dominated the Test match from the start and looked on course to square the series 1-1 when the West Indies were reduced to 353/9 in pursuit of 503 on the last day.

With 10 overs still to go, England were expected to wrap it up but fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who came in at number 11 put up a dogged resistance. Along with number 10 Darren Powell, the duo absorbed everything England could throw at them and emerged triumphant as the Test ended in a draw.

Edwards faced 26 deliveries and even hit a boundary to score 5 runs but more importantly, he helped save a Test that looked lost. All the other Tests were drawn and West Indies won the series 1-0 eventually.

2 Shayne O'Connor saves New Zealand from embarrassment, Hobart 1997

Shayne O'Connor of New Zealand

In a game that had been heavily interrupted by rain, the 3rd Test of the series at Hobart in 1997 between New Zealand and Australia seemed to be petering towards a draw. On the final day, New Zealand were given a target of 288 in 61 overs and after a good start, they started losing wickets regularly to eventually end up at 222-9.

They were staring at an embarrassing defeat against their regional rivals but number 11 Shayne O'Connor and number 10 Simon Doull averted the disaster as they batted out the remaining overs in the middle of a sustained Australian onslaught.

O'Connor scored no runs but hung in there for 31 deliveries to ensure that New Zealand did not slip to a particularly embarrassing loss at the home of their Trans-Tasman rivals.

1 Monty Panesar, Anderson hurt Aussie hopes at the Ashes, Cardiff, 2009

Panesar plays out one more delivery as Ponting looks on.

The first Test of an Ashes series often sets down a marker on which the series is going to go. In the 2009 Ashes in England, Australia looked like on the verge of victory at Cardiff when they took a 239 1st innings lead and then had the hosts on the ropes.

An innings defeat for England looked imminent 9th wicket feel at 233 with around 11 overs left in the game.

However, the Australians had not accounted for the fighting abilities that would be displayed by number 11 Monty Panesar. In partnership with number 10 James Anderson, the duo batted out the remaining overs and in the end, even took the lead as Australia tried everything to get them out of the situation.

Panesar played 35 deliveries and each successive delivery was tenser than the last as the clock ticked down on the Test.

It remains one of the most remarkable escapes seen in modern cricket history.