7 Comments:

As Andrew Miller points out,
defeat was an unthinkable option
for the future of British cricket.
Simply because in England, cricket is to football what hockey is to cricket in India. This defeat and satellite only test cricket would have killed the game in the Old Blightly. Without doubt the most important test victory for modern England.

Unfortunately, the match was over by the time I got up. It would have been amazing to hear Blowers or Aggers commentating on the last ball. Reminds me of the Adelaide Test match when Aus played the last of the great Windies team. I can clearly remember the day 26 Jan 1993. It was the Republic day and I tuned into Radio Australia and Aussies blew a great chance of dethroning Windies before the last wicket pair of May/McDermott came within an agonizing 2 runs of winning the series. I think it was Jim Maxwell or Neville Oliver at the mike when those unforgettable moments were played out.

Border sadly never enjoyed the feeling of winning a series against Windies. No one knows how bitter he was when McDermott was given caught behind. That was his last chance and it was gone.

By  Anonymous, at 1:46 PM 

I for one am shocked. I saw the score the evening before and England was 182/8 and I figured the Aussies would get to the 290ish target they were set. And boy was I surprised when I saw the result. It must have been a classic for the years. I will have to get my hands on some highlights or recording soon.

Now if only our boys turned around Indian cricket thus.

By  The Last Blogger, at 6:52 AM 

Ranga, Aussies have played some unforgettable test matches and lost over the last decade. Each time people said that it was going to renew the interest in Test cricket in that country. With exception of India that hasn't happened.

1) Karachi 94-95. 1 wicket win. Look at Pak they don't care about Tests even when the Indians were in town.

2) Bridgetown 99-00. 1 wicket win. Most fabulous test match batting effort I had ever seen. Look at windies.

3) Calcutta/Madras 00-01. Saved cricket in India. (only exception)

I think it is upto the admins to do the job. If it is rotten at the top then nothing can be don.

By  Anonymous, at 2:41 PM 

i guess only few teams have ever scored more than 250 runs in the fourth inning to win a test match.

surprisingly India has done that more than once and if i am not mistaken we used to hold the record for the highest score (404 or something) in a fourth inning to win a match. so 290 in the fourth inning is pretty imposing.

guys, correct me if i am wrong here.

By  Anonymous, at 3:35 PM 

All I could do was F5 the scorecard and enjoy the thrills in trickles. Wish it were action on screen instead. Anand, good little flashback and nice little analysis there. Enjoyed them as ever. I dont remember the '93 test. But I sure can see it must have been a rocker of a match.

Ranga, let me know when you get hold of a highlights package or something!

Good point hb, 250+ is a stiff target indeed. More so on Ashes turf. You were also right in pointing to India's stupendous chase of 400+ (Gundappa Viswanath's exploits have been well documented). But the record now belongs to the modern Windies when they chased 410+ against SWaugh's Aussies in 2002-03.

[ Sehwag's running amuck right now! ]

By  pradeep, at 6:21 AM 

It was a nice comeback by the Ashes when everyone believed its a done deal. So this would leave a scar mark on the Poms as they wouldn't be complacent anymore, what may the situation be particularly against the Aussies. For some reason I was comparing this to the one these guys Srinath and Kumble snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by sharing around 40-50 runs for the wicket at Banglore, I believe it was against SA.

By  Roger Talks Roger Rocks, at 10:04 AM 

Wasnt it the Titan Cup Final (when Kumble's mother and grandmother had an equal share under the limelight)? Good comparison, only that this was just an ODI. Test match pressure is a whole lot different, right?

By  pradeep, at 10:07 AM 

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