The biggest 1st innings leads that ended up in defeat
In Test cricket, not often do you see a team lose a match after securing a big first-innings lead. A side always looks to put on the maximum number of runs in the first innings to put pressure on the opposition and gain a good lead. But strange things have happened in this beautiful sport when teams have lost the game even after achieving a massive lead in the first innings.
Let’s take a look at the 5 biggest 1st innings leads that ended up in a loss in the history of Tests:
5.Australia (227)
Australia finds itself in the fifth spot on this unwanted list. The Kangaroos batted first and smashed 401/9d in the first innings against England in Leeds in the 1981 Ashes series. The hosts got bundled out for just 174 with Ian Botham scoring 50 and Australia securing a 227-run lead. Following on, England managed to post 356 in their second innings as they won the exciting match by just 18 runs, with the visitors getting dismissed for 111. Bob Willis wreaked havoc with his spell of 8/43.
4.South Africa (236)
South Africa managed to secure a 236-run lead in the first innings but still lost the match. Batting first, South Africa got bundled out for 311 against Australia in Durban in 1950. The visitors were bowled out for just 75 as the hosts took a massive lead. In their second innings, the rainbow nation got dismissed for just 99 as Australia chased down the target of 336 with five wickets in hand.
3.Australia (261)
Australia and England played out an exciting match in the year 1894. Batting first, Australia hammered 586 runs in their first innings in Sydney with Syd Gregory smashing a double ton. The visitors got dismissed for 325 as the Kangaroos achieved a massive 261-run lead. Following on, England struck 437 on the board with Australia managing only 166 to lose the match by ten runs.
2.Australia (274)
This has to be one of the most epic and historic matches in the history of Test cricket. Australia posted 445 runs in the first innings against India in Kolkata in 2001. India got bowled out cheaply for just 171 handing the visitors a lead of 274. Then came the storm of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid who scored 281 and 180 runs respectively as India hit 657/7d. Chasing 384, Australia got bowled out for 212 with India scripting a memorable 171-run victory.
1.Sri Lanka (291)
This time the Australians were not on the receiving end as they clinched a close victory against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1992. Australia scored 256 in their first innings with Sri Lanka smashing 547/8d. The visitors posted 471 runs in the second innings with four players scoring fifties each. Sri Lanka got bundled out for 164 as the team from down under won by 16 runs.
