The most expensive dropped chances in all forms of cricket

Test cricket

Australian wicket-keeper Ben Barnett

Ben Barnett was a fine wicketkeeper-batsman for Victoria. He visited England in 1934 and South Africa a year and a half later but didn't get a chance to make his Test debut. Only when Bert Oldfield retired, Barnett got the chance to become Australia's first wicketkeeper. He made his debut in the 1938 Ashes series and, in the famous Test match at The Oval, he watched Len Hutton score the world-record breaking 364.

England knew that they could not regain The Ashes but they could draw the series with a win in the final Test. Wally Hammond won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first on what appeared to be a flat deck. Hutton started confidently and had scored 39 when lunch was taken on the first day. In the second over after lunch, with the score on 91, Hutton stepped down the wicket to drive 'Chuck' Fleetwood-Smith through the covers. The ball spun past his bat but Barnett, behind the stumps, too was beaten by it.

The chance was gone and Hutton was not one to give many more opportunities. He scored 364 and helped England win the match by an innings and plenty of runs.

Ben Barnett's mistake had cost Australia a staggering 324 runs! He did not play in another Test match as war intervened.