One step short – Atherton and others who were out on 99, twice!
Mike Atherton could only score 16 centuries during his 115-match Test career as he gave importance to occupying the crease and seeing off the new ball as an opener. It is one of the reasons why his batting average in the longer format reads only 37.69 but has batted over 100 balls at an average per dismissal. On 4th of August 1994, Atherton missed out a chance of increasing his tally of hundreds by mere one run.
Atherton’s misery
South Africa toured England in the summer of 1994 where they took 1-0 lead in the 3-match Test series. The second Test was hosted by Leeds where England elected to bat first. Skipper Atherton ensured England batted long and got a solid total with the help of a decent partnership for almost every wicket. He shared a 142-run stand with Graham Thorpe for the 3rd wicket which came in only 37.1 overs.
Atherton moved to 99 from 223 balls with nine fours and a six after spending six hours at the crease. But his innings came to an end when he hit one straight back to Brian McMillan to fall short of a ton. England declared their first innings on 477/9 but South Africa’s total of 447 in response ensured the match ended in a draw. England also drew the series after winning the final Test at The Oval by 8 wickets.
This knock of Atherton was an example of his hardworking nature as only seven players till date batted more than Atherton (360 minutes) in a Test innings where they were dismissed on 99. It was also the 2nd time where Atherton got out batting on 99 in Test cricket. The other instance came during the 1993 Ashes Test at the Lord’s that too during a follow-on innings. In this process, Atherton became only the then 4th player in Test history to be dismissed on 99 twice.
Other luckless batsmen
The first to achieve this unfortunate feat was another England player Mike Smith. Richie Richardson of West Indies and John Wright of New Zealand also got out on 99 twice in Tests before Atherton. Till date, a total of nine players have got out twice on 99 in Test cricket but none luckily went further. Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq is the latest of the nine players who is also the only captain with two Test dismissals on 99.
Players to be dismissed twice on ‘99’ in Test cricket:
(Stats as on August 3, 2020)
