LEEDS, United Kingdom: England completed the tenth highest fourth-innings run chase in Test history with a pursuit of 371 that sealed a five-wicket over India at Headingley on Tuesday.
Below AFP Sport looks at the largest targets chased down in 148 years of Test cricket:
After both teams made 240 in their first innings, Australia made 417 in their second innings and would have expected an attack featuring fast bowlers Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee to finish the job. But hundreds from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul changed the game before an unbroken partnership of 46 between Omari Banks and Vasbert Drakes sealed a three-wicket win.
Australia appeared to have put the game beyond South Africa’s reach but Proteas captain Graeme Smith’s hundred and a century from AB de Villiers helped guide the visitors to a dominant six-wicket success.
Still one of the most famous Tests of them all, England captain Norman Yardley did not declare his side’s second innings until the fifth morning. But Australia still scored 400 runs in under a day’s play, with opener Arthur Morris making 182 and Don Bradman, widely regarded as cricket’s greatest batsman, an unbeaten 173 that sealed a seven-wicket triumph.
Alvin Kallicharran’s hundred built an imposing West Indian lead, but centuries from Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath took India to an eventual total of 406-4. The match proved a turning point as his spinners’ failure persuaded West Indies captain Clive Lloyd to break with convention by building an attack around four fast bowlers — a policy that helped his side dominate Test cricket for the next 15 years.
West Indies batsman Kyle Mayers enjoyed an astounding start to his Test career with an extraordinary 210 not out, putting on 216 with fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner (86) to see the visitors to a three-wicket win.
Asela Gunaratne made a match-winning 80 not out, putting on 121 with Niroshan Dickwella (80) in the home team’s total of 391-6.
Two hundreds from Andrew Strauss put England on top, but Virender Sehwag made a quickfire 83 before batting great Sachin Tendulkar (103 not out) and Yuvraj Singh (85 not out) took India to a four-wicket win.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hit hundreds as England romped home by seven wickets in a series finale postponed from 2021 because of coronavirus concerns within the India camp.
Pakistan were in dire straits at 13-2 early in their chase but hundreds from Shan Masood and Younis Khan turned the tide before Misbah-ul-Haq’s match-winning 59 saw them to 382-3.
India made 471 after being sent in to bat by England captain Ben Stokes but the hosts were only six runs adrift on first innings. England then dismissed India for 364 and opener Ben Duckett’s superb 149 the cornerstone of a chase completed by Root and Jamie Smith. This was only the third Test with more than 350 runs in all four innings, after Ashes clashes at Adelaide in 1921 and Headingley in 1948.
