Only batters to remain not out on 99 in the Ashes
No batter likes to remain stranded on 99 in any format of the game. Missing out on a century by just a one-run margin never goes well with any player as reaching the three-figure mark is an achievement irrespective of the format. The Ashes is a historic Test series in which two of the oldest and fiercest rivals, England and Australia participate. There have been only two such instances over the years of batters remaining not out on 99 and they feature in this article.
Let’s take a look at the players to remain unbeaten on 99 in the Ashes series:
Steve Waugh (AUS)
In the fifth and final Test of the 1994-95 Ashes series, the Australian skipper Mark Taylor won the toss and elected to bat first against England at the pacy and bouncy WACA in Perth. Opener Michael Slater struck 124 while Steve Waugh’s brother, Mark smashed 88. Batting at no. five, Steve remained not out on 99 off 183 which included 12 fours. Seamer Craig McDermott was the last man to get dismissed as run-out for six. With this, Steve missed out on reaching the three-figure mark. The Aussies posted a total of 402 in their first innings and eventually sealed the contest by a massive margin of 329 runs. Steve also struck 80 runs in the second innings as he won the Player of the Match award for his twin half-centuries. The Kangaroos went on to win the Ashes by a margin of 3-1(5).
Jonny Bairstow (ENG)
England wicketkeeper batter Jonny Bairstow is the latest entrant in the unfortunate list. In the fourth Test of the ongoing 2023 Ashes series, captain Ben Stokes won the toss and England opted to field first at Old Trafford in Manchester. Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh scored 51 each as the Aussies posted a total of 317 on the board in their first innings. In reply, Zak Crawley smashed a brilliant 189 while Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Stokes slammed their respective fifties. Batting at no. seven, Bairstow remained unbeaten on 99 off just 81 with the help of ten fours and four sixes. Veteran seamer James Anderson got out LBW for five as England lost their last wicket on 592. The match eventually ended up in a stalemate with Aussies retaining the famous Urn with one game to go.
