SK Flashback: The greatest Ashes and the greatest Cricket Video Games- Part 1

5th Test (The Oval)

#9. Better late than never:

The legendary duo never got it going.., until then

One main reason for Australia conceding a 2-1 lead after four fixtures is the failure of the openers. Another failure would definitely mean the end of the road for them. England has put a decent total on board and the onus is now on Justin Langer and Mathew Hayden. The task is to score a hundred with Langer and to put up a partnership of 185 runs. This is a fairly difficult task, as scoring 185 runs without losing a wicket would need a mix of caution and aggression.

What actually happened: The pair batted with purpose, piling up runs steadily to stake their claims to their current positions in the team. Both went on to score individual hundreds, but none else could contribute significantly as Australia lost their last seven for just 44, conceding a slender lead of 6 runs. A combination of this lower order collapse and bad weather conditions made England rethink their strategies, which ultimately eliminated any chance Australia had to square the series.

#10. What if?

What if...?

My personal favourite, and the hardest task of them all. Australia needs to chase down a target of 342 from a maximum of 15 overs in the final session. Yes, the required run rate is almost 23 per over. To win this, you have to continually execute the six hitting strategy to perfection!

But it is possible to find a way around. If you save the game after the first over following tea break and load the game again, the game will again start from the tea break. Voila, you have accessed an extra over in the game. Use this strategy to perfection, and you can squeeze out as many overs as you want to, which makes the task a hell lot easier!

What actually happened: Nothing! As bad light stopped play just after four balls being bowled in the fourth innings, Australia lost possession of the urn and England reclaimed it, after a gap of 16 years in arguably the greatest and most closely fought test series of all time.