On this day in 1991: Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards and Jeff Dujon play their last Test
In the final Test of the 1991 tour to England, West Indies had a trio of legends – Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall and Viv Richards – retiring from the longest format of the game at the Oval. Richards is considered to be one of the best batters ever to have played the game and he dominated the opposition with his range of shots. On the other hand, Malcolm Marshall had stunning numbers in Tests and he was part of a destructive West Indian bowling lineup which could bundle up any opposition.
With the visitors West Indies leading the five-match series 2-1, England needed to come up with an inspiring performance and they chose to bat after winning the toss. Robin Smith’s century and Graham Gooch’s 60 got England to a competitive total of 419 on the board in the first innings. In reply, West Indies were folded up for just 176 and opener Desmond Haynes carried the bat with an unbeaten 75.
Phil Tuffnell’s 6 for 25 helped England to restrict West Indies to just a par score and England enforced the follow-on on West Indies. In the second innings, Richie Richardson stepped up with a century for the visitors while Carl Hooper (54) and Richards got half centuries. The legendary batter finished with a 60 in his final innings and helped his side to a total of 385 in the second innings.
However, the target of 143 wasn’t going to be enough for the England batters in the final innings and they chased down the score with five wickets in hand. Marshall could pick up just two wickets in his final innings, while Dujon had scores of 0 and 5 in his last Test. The Test has been etched in the memories of the West Indian fans for a long time as on this day (August 12) in 1991, three legends parted ways with Test cricket.