5 closest test match encounters: A detailed analysis

#3 Australia v West Indies, Adelaide, 1993

West Indies were hardly the powerhouse they were in the 1980s. They had arrived in Australia with an inexperienced side and were looking to somehow retain the Frank Worrell trophy which they had not lost since 1975. Australia had risen from the depths in the mid-1980s and had steadily become a highly competitive unit who were hard to beat in home conditions. After a heavy defeat in the second Test in Melbourne, West Indies did well to fight back in a high-scoring draw in Sydney with Brian Lara scoring a splendid 277.

After a great start, West Indies lost a steady stream of wickets. Their RPW, which was well above the RPW–R at the start of the innings, fell away continuously. The difference (Diff), which was nearly 52 at the fall of the first wicket, dropped below -10 and ended close to that mark. Clearly, West Indies had turned in a performance that was nowhere close to the consistent level they had maintained for over a decade.

Faced with a modest 1st innings target of 252, Australia stuttered at the start losing three quick wickets and saw the difference (Diff) drop close to -10. A brief recovery was followed by another collapse and the hosts ended with a deficit of 39 runs – an RPW deficit of 3.9 which would be extremely crucial in what seemed like a low-scoring encounter.

Already down 1-0 in the series, West Indies could ill afford a collapse. However, that is exactly what happened. A cluster of wickets at the top left West Indies in a tough spot. Their RPW (effective) was 32.6 at the fall of the fifth wicket – a diff of -9.4. From that point on, the middle and lower order put up no resistance whatsoever as the RPW fell to 18.5 and the diff crashed to -14.3.

Australia needed just 186 to regain the Frank Worrell trophy. But a horror start set them back a long way. Despite a brief recovery, their RPW was way behind the RPW – required (18.6) and the RPW–R. At the fall of the seventh wicket, D1 and D2 were -8.0 and -26.5 respectively. The last three wickets, however, brought Australia back into the contest. The differences D1 and D2 quickly kept moving up (improving) and were -2.6 and -17.8 when the penultimate wicket fell. The last wicket partnership had reached 40 leaving Australia to get just two runs when Courtney Walsh produced a lifting delivery that Craig McDermott could not evade. West Indies had won by a single run and leveled the series.

They then went on to clinch the series in the next Test in Perth and Australia had to wait another two years to regain the trophy. The Adelaide Test saw both teams struggle to match their record leading up to the game. West Indies nearly threw it all away in their 2nd innings but set off a collapse when Australia batted last that ultimately made the target a bridge too far for the hosts.