One step short – Cricketers dismissed for 199 in a Test match

Scoring a double century in Test cricket remains a special feat for any player but a few of them were quite unfortunate to fall just a run short of that momentous feat. On 12th August 1997, Sanath Jayasuriya got bowled while batting on 199 in the Test match played at Colombo’s SSC against India.

Jayasuriya raced to 199 from only 225 balls with help of 21 fours and two sixes before getting cleaned up by Abey Kuruvilla. The Sri Lankan marauder thus became only the 4th player in Test history to be dismissed on 199. Six players achieved this unfortunate feat after Jayasuriya with the last of them being Dean Elgar in 2017. Jayasuriya’s knock helped Sri Lanka declare on 415/7 and set a target of 373 to India.

India made 281/5 as the match and the series ended in a draw. During the first match of this series, Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 in the 578 balls he faced and helped Sri Lanka to post the highest-ever Test total of 952/6 which is still a record.

Others to fall on 199

Only a month before Jayasuriya, Australia’s Matthew Elliott got out on 199 in the Leeds Test against England. Interestingly, Sanath Jayasuriya and Elliott are the only players to be dismissed bowled when batting on 199. Only four of the six players in this list never managed to score a Test double ton. Mohammad Azharuddin and Matthew Elliott never got to reach the 200-run mark and ended their Test careers with a career-best of 199.

KL Rahul and Dean Elgar are the current players who have the highest Test score of 199. Among the ten players to be dismissed on the said score, only Younis Khan’s innings came to a halt while running for the 200th run. Andy Flower during the 2001 Harare Test against South Africa and Kumar Sangakkara against Pakistan in the 2012 Galle were stranded on 199* as their teams got bowled out.

(Stats as on August 11, 2020)