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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Why successful fourth innings chases are becoming more common in Test cricket?
Fourth innings pursuits have etched some of the most iconic images in Test cricket. Brian Lara leaping skywards after the Bridgetown heist in 1999, Ben Stokes shivering Headingley with his roar in 2019, or Kusal Perera kissing the Kingsmead grass in 2017, shedding sweat and tears. There is both novelty and mystique, rendered by the infrequency of successful fourth-innings chases. But the game's blinding evolution is breaking the barriers, instilling the oldest format with a youthful energy, and steep targets no longer daunt batsmen as they once used to. Against the odds In the history of the game, 957 times have a side set a target of 250 plus. Only 79 times have the score been overhauled, as many 569 ended in lost causes and 308 in draws. The numbers reveal the historical distress of surpassing a target when the surface, more often than not, is the worst to bat. The strips become an embroidered patchwork of cracks and roughs, the top soil loosening/flaking/crumbling to reveal its dark, deceitful soul. Depending on the locale, the pitch would turn, spit, stop or bounce indifferently, making survival itself an ordeal. Forget overhauls. Golden age of chasing Of the 79 instances teams who have achieved 250-plus targets, 15 were wrought this decade, which is roughly one-fifth of all fourth-innings heists. It's an immense number when you consider that the decade is only five years old and Test cricket has formally existed for 148 years. Of those, five were totals above 300 (only 37 times has it ever been achieved). Till 2020, the winning percentage was 28.3. The last five years, it has shot to 46.8, the latest being England's dismantling of India at Headingley, harmonising the trail of 371 with ridiculous ease, almost demystifying the mystique of fourth-innings acts. Of those 15, England accounts for nearly half (six), which reflects their bravado approach in Tests. Bazball influence The influence of Brendon McCullum's methodical merry ballers is indisputable. The frequency is bewildering, but the nervelessness is more staggering. It's not just that they have scaled the summit, but how comfortably they have trekked to the peak. In Headingley against India, they hardly let imaginary fears stalk them, despite a few sliding door moments like the Shardul Thakur twin wickets, or later the Ben Stokes dismissal. It's as though they had rubbed off the last misbehaving ball from the memory. At times in the past, the approach has backlashed, especially on the subcontinent, but more often than not Stokes and Co have pulled off victories emphatically. All England captains before him eclipsed totals beyond 250 just a dozen times; Stokes's count is already six (out of 12 times), in only 34 games. Such radical approaches, where the scoreboard pressure doesn't break them, could have a contagious effect on the cricketing world at large. Like the pinch-hitting boom after Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup triumph. Or teams reluctant to follow-on teams after VVS Laxman's Eden Gardens masterpiece. But even before the Bazballers started hauling down mega totals, India blasted 329 to win at the Gabba in 2021; West Indies strung 395, the fifth-highest successful run chase of all time, in Chattogram the same year; Pakistan clinched 342 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2022, just when Bazball was catching fire. T20 impact The shortest format has resisted age-old conventions, shackled the self-imposed handcuffs, and broadened the horizons of imagination. 'A score of 350 in the good old days was too tall a chase in the fourth innings of a Test match. But, with zero fear in the modern cricketer, born out of a T20 mindset, that landscape has changed,' England great Kevin Pietersen said on the morning of the fifth day in Headingley. It's not just the mindset to attack but to blend the T20 bravado to a Test match environment. Batsmen are still sticking largely to standard cricketing shots, their high-yield percentage strokes, but they don't dead-bat a half volley just because the ball is swinging or the team is in trouble. Test cricket as such has become faster, runs scorer at a quicker rate than ever before (even though runs per wicket has not changed much). The last decade, the average run rate per innings was 3.1 an over; this decade it has sprung to 3.3. In the last three years England have scored at a frenetic rate of 4.88, 4.39 and 5.03. Australia has maintained 3.6. Correspondingly, the incidence of draws have reduced too. Just 15 percent of matches this decade have ended in a deadlock, which is a perceivable offshoot of the World Test Championship and the significance of points. Hostage of conditions It is no coincidence just two of the 250-plus hunts this decade were achieved in Asia, at Chattogram and Galle, whereas six of them were completed in England. Fourth-innings are the toughest in Asia, where batting on turners is akin to trench warfare. Stokes and Co fumbled twice, chasing 399 and 557. In the entire history, only four times have teams managed the grim task in India (thrice the hosts won); eight in Sri Lanka, where the turn is slow, twice in Pakistan and thrice in Bangladesh. But conditions in England have changed dramatically over the years, and often batting in fourth innings tends to be the least perilous of times to bat in the country. Former England captain Mike Atherton attributed it to 'covered pitches and hard loam soils that break up less readily' in a piece in Times. There have been reports that McCullum and Stokes want the pitches to remain as placid as it could be, as it aids their brand of batting. Some of the decks in Australia and South Africa have lost their spice too, despite the crumpled face. The last barrier, thus, for the heady chasers of this decade thus remains Asia, especially India.
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Key denies Archer concerns and backs him to be ‘one of best England have had'
Rob Key has played down concerns about Jofra Archer's readiness for Test cricket, insisting England could have fast-tracked his comeback sooner and saying he trusts Ben Stokes not to flog such a precious commodity. Archer, 30, was the standout name when an otherwise unchanged squad was picked for the second Test against India that starts at Edgbaston next Wednesday. But coming after a four-year absence from first-class cricket, and just 18 overs with a red ball for Sussex this past week, the selection also raised eyebrows. Among them were those of Sussex head coach, Paul Farbrace, who fancies England should stick with the XI that secured a 1-0 lead at Headingley. Key has hinted at this being a possibility, with Archer potentially lined up for the third Test at Lord's. Either way, England's managing director has stressed his schedule – a diet of Twenty20 and ODI cricket these past 18 months – has been a conservative one. 'I think we've gone slower than we could have done,' Key said on Friday, speaking at an event for series sponsors Rothesay. 'Jofra has been in a long period where he's been building up and building up [in white-ball cricket]. The temptation could have been to rush him back sooner. But actually we've gone down this road to make sure that we're in this position now where we're thinking about playing him. 'He could be one of the best bowlers we have had. And you only do that by doing it in Test cricket. Hopefully for the next few years we'll be fortunate enough to see Jofra have the chance to stake that claim.' Archer's past injury problems relate to stress fractures in the lower back and elbow, with England getting too giddy when he first burst on to the scene in the World Cup and Ashes summer of 2019. The 42 overs he sent down on an absurdly flat pitch in Mount Maunganui the following winter was a prime example of this, with Key expecting Stokes to avoid the mistake made by predecessor Joe Root. Key said: 'These are impact players. You don't want them doing other roles. That's where you need complementary skills, so you can share a bit more of the work. The temptation at times with Jofra is that he can do a bit of everything. But you've got to use him when he can impact the game and Ben [Stokes] is one of the best at that. You have got to be smart with how you use them so they can help you win a game.' A second round of midsummer County Championship matches starts this Sunday, three days before the second Test, and it may be that one or two seamers who are unlikely to feature at Edgbaston – Jamie Overton and Sam Cook missed out last week – are released to play on the third and fourth days of it, as per the regulations. If held back for Lord's, Archer could in theory return to play the second half of the match between Sussex and Warwickshire at Hove. As the spare batter in the squad, Jacob Bethell will not be released for it, however, and will remain with England until the toss on Wednesday to provide cover for any late injuries or illness. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Key also provided a positive update on Mark Wood, who has not featured since undergoing knee surgery after the Champions Trophy in March. The fifth Test at the end of July remains a possibility and, just like with his impactful entrance midway through the 2023 Ashes, he may not need to prove his fitness with a four-day game. 'Wood is someone who could turn up after bowling a bit in the nets, like he did [in 2023], and it's 96mph, swinging the ball and hitting a length,' said Key. 'We're very fortunate he has the ability to hit his straps pretty much from the start. 'Jofra is close to the Mark Wood end of the scale: a pretty pure talent, not a lot of moving parts to his action. He knows exactly what he is doing and what he is about.'
Metro
a day ago
- Sport
- Metro
England's Headingley win over India showed how Test cricket can deliver the gold standard of sporting suspense
It was 5.28pm on day five when I knew England were not going to win the first Test against India. Ben Stokes had got out reverse-sweeping, India needed one more wicket and they were into England's tail. There were still 69 runs required, the new ball was available soon, Jasprit Bumrah plays for India, oh and it was probably going to rain. Almost exactly an hour later, Jamie Smith had hit the final ball for six and England completed the second-highest final day run chase in history to win. The improbable had been made possible earlier that day by Ben Duckett's considered, mature 149. India were favourites on the final day right up until England made 119 runs for no loss. That is to say, an England win was the less likely outcome for almost the whole five days. Remember the end of day one? India 359 for three with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant at the crease scoring runs as if it was the easiest thing in the world. I was working that Friday (cheeky) and not on the cricket but I checked the score with the classic sense of deflation that has accompanied most of my recent England-watching against India (live on TNT Sports with Finny and Sir Alastair). By Saturday lunchtime, England fans were living in a new optimistic world. And so it continued: the hope, the agitation, the bafflement at another dropped catch, or Harry Brook's charge down the wicket in his minute-long second innings. The emotional range graph induced by the five-day Test would look something like a course profile from road cycling or cross-country mountain bike, of which I am so fond. And it made me think – is there an optimal number of switches in fortune that makes for the most compelling viewing experience in sport? Take the mountain bikes. In cross-country, it's a mass start so the lead may switch around any number of times over the 80-or-so minute duration of the race. But there are usually maybe ten people you really believe could win. The favourites don't, of course, always take it. Observe Ondrej Cink a few weeks ago winning his first ever World Cup at the age of 34 – mad. But the first hour is usually big hitters manoeuvring to fix up for the win. It's fascinating, there are perhaps eight of those stomach-drop moments per race where you think: this is big. This is it. More Trending Football is the sport with the most dramatic one-off reversals, because an entire game can be decided by a single action – that of scoring a goal. The headiest moment I've ever had as an England football fan was watching Jude Bellingham's bicycle kick crash in at Euro 2024. All the air left the stadium, it was impossible to breathe. The emotional flip was unlike anything I've seen. But the match featured that plus two other goals, with the rest largely nervous drudgery. Tennis – as Nicolas Mahut and John Isner can contend after their 2010 slugfest in SW19 of more than 11 hours ended in a 70-68 fifth-set victory for the latter – is well set up for stunning shifts of momentum and prolonged tension. Just ask Carlos Alcaraz, French Open champion after coming back from two sets down against Jannik Sinner. And an argument should surely be made for road cycling by someone with a higher word count. With the Tour de France imminent please all write in and make that case. Test cricket, when it's on song, is a combination of drawn-out suspense and abrupt handbrake turns. You know the golden ratio that exists in nature? Actually first discovered at Lord's, it turns out. Enjoy next week. MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables MORE: I built a fashion business from the ground up — you don't need entrepreneur family to succeed MORE: Tired eyes? Users say this viral eye balm is a 'holy grail' for dark circles and puffiness
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Zimbabwe vs South Africa LIVE: Cricket score and updates from South Africa in Zimbabwe 2025
Follow live coverage of Zimbabwe vs South Africa from the South Africa in Zimbabwe 2025 today. The ICC Test Championship sees nine teams compete across a two-year cycle of matches before a two-team final decides the winner. The inaugural competition was won by New Zealand after a thrilling victory over India in June 2021. The 50-over World Cup is far older and has been competed for since back in 1975. Australia are the record winners having run out victorious on five occasions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015). England took the 2019 crown after a dramatic Ben Stokes-inspired super-over win over New Zealand at Lord's. The shortest form of the game sees teams compete in Twenty20. The newest format has been an instant global hit with a number of hugely-lucrative competitions massively popular all over the world. Australia are reigning world champions having taken victory in the 2021 tournament. Follow all the latest live coverage of today's match in the live blog below: Zimbabwe vs South Africa Follow live coverage of Zimbabwe vs South Africa from the South Africa in Zimbabwe 2025 today. The ICC Test Championship sees nine teams compete across a two-year cycle of matches before a two-team final decides the winner. The inaugural competition was won by New Zealand after a thrilling victory over India in June 2021. The 50-over World Cup is far older and has been competed for since back in 1975. Australia are the record winners having run out victorious on five occasions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015). England took the 2019 crown after a dramatic Ben Stokes-inspired super-over win over New Zealand at Lord's. The shortest form of the game sees teams compete in Twenty20. The newest format has been an instant global hit with a number of hugely-lucrative competitions massively popular all over the world. Australia are reigning world champions having taken victory in the 2021 tournament. 27 June 2025 09:00
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
8 of 9 batsmen in multiple successful 350+ Test chases all-time are Englishmen – list includes Pope, Woakes, Stokes and Root
Only 14 times has a 350 target been chased down in Test cricket history. And 8 of Baz McCullum's 'ballers feature in the list of batsmen who have achieved this multiple times (more than once). According to MensXP website, 9 batsmen have been involved in successful chases over 350, and 8 of them are Englishmen or recent vintage, specifically Bazballers. Sri Lankan Upul Tharanga is the only non-Englishman among these buccaneers, who have ensured that no matter how many their bowlers concede and set them stiff targets, England will back themselves to get there. Captain Ben Stokes and Joe Root have been involved in 3 such chases of over 350, says MensXP India. Besides the recent Headingley one against India, Root had combined with Jonny Bairstow for twin centuries at Birmingham on the last Tour. In the third instance, he was part of the English team that chased 359 and won by a wicket against Australia, after a Ben Stokes century in the target pursuit in 2019. In that Ashes game, England were in dire straits after being shot out for 67 in the first innings. But MensXP India quotes two other contemporary Englishmen as being part of 2 such successful 350+ chases – Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope (who also scored a ton at Leeds). The others to have managed it in recent past are Jack Leach, Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow, twice each, making it 8 out 9 members of England sides. High strike-rates, greater RPOs and unbridled shotmaking might be the other indicators – and Rishabh Pant and Yashsvi Jaiswal might well fit those criterion, but true Bazballing is at its pinnacle only when their batting lineups can assail tall targets in the 4th innings, in this case over 350. Upul Tharanga managed it twice for Sri Lankan wins at Premadasa 2017 chasing 388, against Zimbabwe and at Sara Oval 2006 against Siuth Africa getting to 352. Of the 37 times 300+ have been chased, England have managed it 6 times, with Bazballers also thrice chasing over 270 (to 299) against New Zealand in 2022. Australia against whom the two highest chases have been registered, (418 vs WI in 2003 & 414 vs SA in 2008) have chased down 300+ 9 times, and also lost defending it 9 times. They are joint top 350+ chasers alongside England (3 times). West Indies, SL have done it twice, while India, South Africa and Pakistan once each of the 14 occasions. Live by sword also implies die by sword, and opposition spinners are crucial in denying England 350+ targets in Bazball era. England could not chase down NZ's 658 with pacers & Santner pulling them back in recent years. Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin denied them 399 target at Vizag last time they visited, and Ravindra Jadeja did same for 557 at Rajkot. In an earlier tour in 2021-22, they couldn't chase 482 at Chennai. India have chased 300+ thrice and had opponents chase 300+ as many times (3-3). Pakistan have chased 300+ four times (4-3), and allowed opponents to get to that target thrice. Newly crowned WTC champs South Africa have chased 300+ twice (2-5) and 350+ once, but conceded 300+ in 4th innings five times for defeats. New Zealand have never chased 350+ for a Test win in 4th innings, but done 300+ twice. They have never ceded 350+ to opponents either in a chase, but twice for over 300 (2-2). Sri Lanka have a bold past, chasing 300+ four times, and allowing opponents to assail it only thrice (4-3).
