10 best knocks by night-watchmen in Tests

Night-watchmen have become a rather rare breed of late. While the original premise of sending in these lower-order batsmen was to shield the more capable ones from poor light or exhaustion, captains seldom use this tactic,as it exposes such players to the better bowlers in the rival camp. Their primary job is to stay at the wicket for long periods, holding one end up, while the batsman at the other end goes about scoring freely.However, there have been cases where these dour, stodgy cricketingsouls have made merry out in the middleand have been chief architects of comprehensive as well as unlikely victories. It makes you wonderabout the extent of their capabilities with the willow? Or whether they belong to the lowerorder? Perhapsthese were just flashes in the pan, but then the list I have conjured after a week of intensive research actually speaks volumes of their blade-swinging abilities.Heres a look at ten of the best innings ever played by night-watchmen:

#10 Nicky Boje (85 v India, Bangalore, 1999-2000)

India were bound to struggle to save themselves from the ignominy of going down tamely to yet another opposition. After all, they only managed to post 158 on the board against the likes of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, the fiery Nantie Hayward, and Jacques Kallis. A fine bowling performance was, therefore, more than necessary to polish off the South African line-up, and it had to be done quickly.

But left-arm spinner Nicky Boje had other ideas. Coming in as a night-watchman after the lion-hearted Anil Kumble took out Herschelle Gibbs early, the southpaw paired up well with the resolute Gary Kirsten as he frustrated the home attack for nearly four hours. Moving fluidly, gracefully, the Bloemfontein lad negotiated Javagal Srinath, Kumble and the remaining bowlers without so much as a blink; some of the shots he played would have made even the hard-nosed of top-order batsmen proud.

Boje finished with 85, six runs more than Kirsten. His innings laid the platform for Kallis, Daryll Cullinan and Lance Klusener to attack freely, who all went past 50. Despite a gritty century by Mohammad Azharuddin in India’s second essay, the Proteas wrapped up the 2-match series with an innings and 71-run victory.

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#9 Jack Russell (94 v Sri Lanka, Lord\'s, 1988)

It’s not every day that you see an English side packed with four Test debutants take the field against a Sri Lankan squad still finding its foothold in the longest format of the game. Nevertheless, both the teams were under quite a bit of pressure: England had gone 18 matches without a win, while the Emerald Islanders had played fewer Tests in the past four years. Many expected the Poms to dominate this one-off game, but something else unfolded during that five-day period.

It was Jack Russell, an eccentric 25-year-old wicket-keeper, playing his first international fixture who took the centrestage after Sri Lanka were knocked over for a paltry 194. After Tim Robinson departed, the left-handed Gloucestershire batsman joined skipper Graham Gooch at the crease and proceeded to play a strokeful innings. He duly outscored the Essex opener and kept the scorecard ticking in the company of another debutant, Kim Barnett.

On 94, and in sight of a maiden Test hundred on debut, impatience prompted Russell to throw his wicket away; however, by then, he had done enough damage to the Lankans’ confidence. Nonetheless, the South Asian nation mounted a spirited reply in their second innings, led by Arjuna Ranatunga and Duleep Mendis’ half-centuries, pulling the game into the fifth day as England completed their first win at Lord’s in five years.

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#8 Eddie Hemmings (95 v Australia, Sydney, 1982-83)

England made a couple of changes to the side that had beaten Australia at Melbourne, though the fate of the Ashes had already been decided at 2-1. Greg Chappell elected to bat first on a Sydney pitch that was expected to turn a lot in the course of the match. It took a couple of magical innings from Allan Border and John Dyson to steer the Kangaroos to a 300-plus total, despite Ian Botham grabbing four wickets. England conceded a 77-run lead, and the Aussies capitalized on that, with Kim Hughes scoring a magnificent 137 in the second essay, leaving a target of 460 to be chased in just 6 hours.

Then Eddie Hemmings, who had taken six wickets in the match, delivered the resistance England so desperately needed. Pulling, driving and cutting with ferocity, he batted with grim determination, steering his side to safety and delighting the spectators with his spirited display. It rubbed off on the rest of the lower order, with Geoff Miller and Bob Taylor holding fort till the end of play.

33-year-old Hemmings finished 5 runs short of a Test century, but he had done enough to ensure that the Poms left the SCG with their heads held high.

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#7 Harold Larwood (98 v Australia, Sydney, 1932-33)

Perhaps the only game of the acrimonious Bodyline series where the duel between bat and ball seemed even for the most part, it was heartening for the Australians to see their gentlemanly skipper Bill Woodfull’s battered side still willing to brave the rough ploys of the abrasive Douglas Jardine. Although the match itself is remembered for England great Wally Hammond’s 101 and 75, another fine yet unexpected performance with the bat came from Jardine’s chief weapon: Harold Larwood.

The Nottinghamshire pacer came in at No.4, in the role of night-watchman, to partner Hammond towards the end of the second day. Australia had posted 435 in their first innings, with four of their batsmen getting half centuries. Larwood scored freely on the third day, playing near-perfect drives and even struck a powerful six. His innings was characterized by defence mixed with some aggression, although Hammond, Gubby Allen and vice-captain Bob Wyatt secured England’s lead.

Australia crumbled in their second innings, with Hedley Verity dominating the batsmen, and England coasted to victory with 8 wickets to spare.

In the context of the series, Larwood’s innings seemed to have been forgotten amid the uproar caused by the Adelaide Leak. It remained the highest score by a night-watchman in Tests until 1962.

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#6 Alex Tudor (99* v NZ, Birmingham, 1999)

After a dismal Ashes campaign, England made six changes to their Test team, with Nasser Hussain replacing Alec Stewart as captain. The new squad faced off against Stephen Fleming’s Kiwi side on an Edgbaston pitch feared by many for its unpredictable nature. Little did anyone realize how extraordinary the game would turn out to be.

Batting first, New Zealand put up 226 on the board, built largely around Adam Parore’s masterly 73. England slipped to 45/7, courtesy injudicious shot selection and jittery nerves. The last three wickets managed to push the total beyond 100 but couldn’t prevent a three-figure innings deficit.

Stirred by their captain’s powerful speech on the second day, the England bowlers wreaked havoc on the Kiwi line-up with Andy Caddick bagging five victims, and only Simon Doull’s 46 took them to a 100-plus total. But England were not to be denied a shot at glory. Hussain then played a masterstroke: he promoted seamer Alex Tudor to the night-watchman’s position.

Tudor responded with a brilliant display of batting hitherto missing among both camps. Anything wide of off-stump was smashed through the covers, and he also peppered the leg-side with delicately placed strokes. With Hussain also joining in the fun, the Poms returned to cruise mode. Tudor plundered runs almost at will, and, by the time Hussain was out, England were already closing in on the win. However, with the scores levelled by Graham Thorpe, the Surrey all-rounder could only manage another boundary as England claimed victory by 7 wickets. Alex finished unbeaten on 99, the highest by an English night-watchman since 1932.

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#5 Syed Kirmani (101* v Australia, Bombay, 1979-80)

“Vengeance is sweet.”

The old adage was proved in a more telling way and in the most surprising environment: a Test match.

India had been humbled by an extraordinary innings from Australia’s Tony Mann on their 1977 tour Down Under after coming in as night-watchman. But, at Bombay in 1979, they got their own back through a very unlikely player: wicket-keeper Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani.

The bald, bearded gloveman joined Gundappa Viswanath at the crease towards the end of the first day’s play, sent in ahead of the more established Yashpal Sharma and Mohinder Amarnath. With wickets falling quickly on the second day, Kiri hung around grimly, putting in all the hard work and forging vital alliances down the order – 46 with Kapil Dev, 127 with Karsan Ghavri (who hammered 86 runs in quick time) – eventually completing his century after five hours at the crease.

Australia eventually folded for 198 in their second innings after following on, earning India a 2-0 series triumph and a revenge for the Perth defeat at Mann’s hands.

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#4 Nasim ul Ghani (101 v England, Lord\'s, 1962)

For thirty years, Harold Larwood’s 98 remained the highest score by a night-watchman in Test matches.

It changed in 1962 at Lord’s, when England faced off against Pakistan on a green pitch. Captain Javed Burki’s decision to bat first backfired as the ferocious pace of Fred Trueman whittled down the Pakistanis to just 100. England, led by Tom Graveney’s masterly 153 and useful knocks by skipper Ted Dexter and Colin Cowdrey, replied with 370.

Pakistan fell to 77/4, but then came the rally, led by left-arm spinner Nasim ul Ghani – who was brought up the order – and Burki. Both batsmen looked completely comfortable in the second outing, Nasim in particular clobbering spinner Tony Lock for many boundaries. Clean hitting was his style, and, with his skipper at the other end also coming into his own, the southpaw raced away to his maiden Test century.

Both Burki and Ghani fell to pacer Len Coldwell after identical scores of 101, but Nasim’s innings overtook the thirty-year-old record set by Larwood as England completed a fine win with more than 2 days to spare.

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#3 Tony Mann (105 v India, Perth, 1977-78)

Thrilling is the best description for this game-pure, tough, uncompromising Test cricket played over all five days at the WACA in Perth. It required a special knock from someone to help one side triumph over the other. The Kangaroos pipped the Indian tigers to the post this time, despite being beset by many defections to the Kerry Packer circus called World Series Cricket.

Tony Mann, a leg-spinner with a sharp googly, became the unlikely hero as Australia mounted a spirited reply to the 339-run target set by Bishan Bedi’s squad. Outplayed in the first innings despite a valiant 176 from veteran skipper Bobby Simpson and losing debutant John Dyson early in the second, Mann walked in at No.3 to join fellow West Australian Craig Serjeant at the crease. The clock was ticking, and he had to get on with it.

He proceeded to flay the bowling as India displayed their chronic weakness against left-handers. Anything that was short and wide was fiercely cut, and the pacers were driven firmly on both sides of the wicket. Mann’s audacity amazed his teammates, compiling a magnificent 105, and he became the second night-watchman to reach the three-figure mark. A flurry of late wickets saw Australia eight down with 9 runs to get, but Jeff Thomson and Wayne Clark held their nerves to reach the target, culminating in a fine win.

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#2 Mark Boucher (108 v England, Durban, 1999)

In a game noted for batting and bowling of the highest order, a sparkling gem of an innings by a short, stockily built 22-year-old wicket-keeper was somehow overlooked. However, it still remains one of the best innings ever seen at Durban against an England attack that breathed fire for most of the match. Although there is some dispute over whether this is a true night-watchman’s innings, many established sources deem it to be so.

Forced to follow-on after a Andrew Caddick-led burst saw them bundled out for 156, the South Africans came out with the intent to play gritty cricket. The early loss of Gibbs brought Kirsten and Kallis together in a huge stand, but the game went out of England’s hands, despite a late charge from Andrew Flintoff, when Mark Boucher entered the scene. He played a blistering innings, with his strokes sending the ball to all corners of the ground. After getting a reprieve on 66, Boucher attacked further, reaching his third Test hundred and second as a night-watchman, before becoming Chris Adams’ first Test wicket.

South Africa eventually compiled a mammoth 572, ending the match in a draw, with Gary Kirsten dismissed for 275. However, Boucher’s innings still remains the best by a South African night-watchman.

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#1 Jason Gillespie (201* v Bangladesh, Chittagong, 2005-06)

I would consider this innings as one of the finest ever played by a night-watchman, more so because the architect of this knock was playing in what turned out to be the final game of his glittering yet injury-prone Test career. It was, therefore, only fitting that Jason Gillespie closed it out with a memorable performance.

Rajin Saleh’s 71 formed the backbone of Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 197, an all-too familiar collapse being triggered by the lanky Australian seamer, who picked up the first three wickets. In response, the Aussies lost Matthew Hayden before stumps, with Gillespie joining Phil Jaques towards the end of play.

The next two days, one shortened by rain, saw “Dizzy” at his best. Keeping up a solid defence, he also unfurled a plethora of gorgeous drives and even struck a couple of magnificent sixes. On Day 4, just after lunch, the bearded Gillespie reached the coveted mark of 200, adding 320 runs with Mike Hussey and steering Australia to a mammoth 581/4.

Bangladesh fell like nine-pins, despite Shahriar Nafees and skipper Habibul Bashar adding 102 for the second wicket and a hard-hitting 65 from Mohammad Rafique down the order, thus handing the Kangaroos a 2-0 series victory, with Gillespie taking the Man-of-the-Match honours.

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