Dismissed for less than 100: and the bloody aftermath
When India was dismissed in 20 overs on the first morning history was against India. I have done a special mining of the Database and brought to focus such matches across 120 years of Test cricket. This is not one of my special out-of-the-box ideas which gets developed, rather it is an attempt to create easy-to-understand tabular views of a rare event.
1. Summary of all sub-100 first innings Test matches
The summary of all the matches in which the first batting team has been dismissed for less than 100 has been given below.
No of Test matches: 43 (Only 2.2% of the total)
Won by team batting first and dimissed for below 100: 5
Match Drawn: 6
Lost by team batting first and dimissed for below 100: 32
There has been only one instance of a team, after having been dismissed for below 100 has taken a first innings lead. This was by India against New Zealand at Hamilton during their disastrous pre-World Cup tour. The irony was that India still lost the match by 4 wickets.
For a list of all such matches please click here
2. Dismissed for less than 100 and conceded a lead of over 300 runs
Test FBat SBat Def Inns3 Result
0303 Eng 52 Aus 389 (337) 188 ao Australia won by an innings and 149 runs
0819 Aus 90 Win 405 (315) 209 ao West Indies won by an innings and 106 runs
0852 Ind 96 Eng 419 (323) 318/4 Match drawn
1495 Zim 83 Eng 415 (332) 123 ao England won by an innings and 209 runs
1528 Slk 95 Saf 504 (409) 180 ao South Africa won by an innings and 229 runs
1561 Bng 90 Slk 555 (465) 328 ao Sri Lanka won by an innings and 137 runs
1650 Bng 97 Aus 407 (310) 178 ao Australia won by an innings and 132 runs
1837 Bng 89 Slk 577 (488) 254 ao Sri Lanka won by an innings and 234 runs
1838 Bng 62 Slk 451 (389) 299 ao Sri Lanka won by an innings and 90 runs
1871 Ind 76 Saf 494 (418) 328 ao South Africa won by an innings and 90 runs
It can be seen that only once has a team conceded a lead over 300 runs and saved a match. That was India over England during 1979. Vengsarkar, with one of his three Lord's centuries and Vishwanath, with his only 100 in England saved the test. All other matches were comfortably won by the team batting second and establishing a lead of over 300 runs. This shows the enormity of the task in front of India after 2 hours of play at Ahmedabad, all bravado by Harbhajan notwithsanding.
With a much more improved second innings display, India at least managed to keep the innings defeat to a low margin one (not that losing by an innings is acceptable in any case).
For a potted summary scorecard view of the above tests please click here
3. Dismissed for less than 100 and drawing the match
Test FBat SBat Def Inns3 Result
0014 Eng 95 Aus 182 ( 87) 180/9 Match drawn (Close: 141/7)
0387 Pak 87 Eng 117 ( 30) 121/3 Match drawn (Played mainly on Day 5)
0415 Nzl 70 Pak 195 (125) 69/6 Match drawn (Close: 113/5)
0852 Ind 96 Eng 419 (323) 318/4 Match drawn (1st day: 53/1)
1370 Eng 77 Aus 213 (136) 266/4 Match drawn (Close: 131/2)
1462 Ind 83 Nzl 215 (132) 505/3 251/7 Match drawn (1st day: 119/3)
This table clearly show that, once a team has been dismissed for a sub-100 score on the first morning (or later if the match starts later), the only way one can hope to save a test is by hitting back immediately with the bowlers.
The close of play score at the end of the first day has to indicate that the ball has been dominant. Maybe obvious but these matches confirm the statement. Only when the lead has been kep to below-150 can a team hope to save the match, Lords, 1979 being the sole exception.
For a potted summary scorecard view of the above tests please click here
4. Dismissed for less than 100 and winning the match
Test FBat SBat Def Inns3 Result
0009 Aus 63 Eng 101 ( 38) 122 ao 77 ao Australia won by 7 runs
0025 Eng 45 Aus 119 ( 74) 184 ao 97 ao England won by 13 runs
0043 Eng 75 Aus 123 ( 48) 475 ao 333 ao England won by 94 runs
0059 Eng 92 Saf 177 ( 85) 330 ao 35 ao England won by 210 runs
0094 Eng 76 Saf 110 ( 34) 162 ao 75 ao England won by 53 runs
These are all pre-WW1 matches, the days of uncovered wickets. The last time a team achieved this was during 1907, more than 100 years back. India, with its much-vaunted but under-achieving batting line-up of 2008, was not going to break a 100 year record.
For a potted summary scorecard view of the above tests please click here
5. Great wins after a big deficit in the first innings
MtId FBat SBat Deficit 3rdInns 4thInns Result
1814 Eng 173 ao Pak 504 ao (331) Eng 298/ 4 Pak 0/ 0 England awarded the match (D Hair ???)
1194 Aus 256 ao Slk 547/ 8 (291) Aus 471 ao Slk 164 ao Australia won by 16 runs
1535 Aus 445 ao Ind 171 ao (274) FO Ind 657/ 7 Aus 212 ao India won by 171 runs
0042 Aus 586 ao Eng 325 ao (261) FO Eng 437 ao Aus 166 ao England won by 10 runs
0320 Saf 311 ao Aus 75 ao (236) Saf 99 ao Aus 336/ 5 Australia won by 5 wickets
0905 Aus 401/ 9 Eng 174 ao (227) FO Eng 356 ao Aus 111 ao England won by 18 runs
Consider this table. This shows the matches won after a huge deficit of over 200 runs, either batting first or second. The first match is the only test won after conceding a lead of over 300 runs. However this win was not achieved on the field by the players. Mr.Darrel Hair was resonsible for this farce. I do not think the English team would like to claim this win. It is high time that ICC amended the result of the match to "Match abandoned".
The greatest such win was by Australia in 1992 when Mathews, ably supported by Shane Warne, engineered a miracle at Colombo. Sri Lanka would rue this loss till date. So would Australia, whose loss after a 274 run lead (that too after a follow-on) at Kolkatta during 2001 was the stuff one would find in Grimm's Fairy Tales.
For a potted summary scorecard view of the above tests please click here
This conclusively proves that no team has any chance of winning after conceding a lead of over 300 runs in the first innings.
Y. Anantha Narayanan
April 2008
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