Unstoppable Willows: 10 cricketers to bat on all 5 days of the same Test
In over 140 years of Test match cricket, there have only been 10 instances of a single batsman batting on all five days of the same Test match. There are multiple factors that come into play such as rain, teams attempting to draw, or just luck in general.
Here’s a list of batsmen to have batted on all five days of a Test match:
1. ML Jaisimha vs Australia, 1960
Elegant Hyderabad cricketer ML Jaisimha was an inspiration for the likes of Mohd. Azharuddin and VVS Laxman. He was the first cricketer to achieve this feat and it came against Australia at the Eden Gardens. He came in to bat at number 9 on Day 1. India were all-out for 194 runs on Day 2, and Jaisimha was not out for 20. Australia scored 331 in response, and he came in to bat at number 4 this time by the end of Day 3. He batted out the entire day 4 and was dismissed for 74 at the start of Day 5.
2. Sir Geoffrey Boycott vs Australia, 1977
Geoffrey Boycott was known for his defensive style of batting. Hence, it’s not a surprise that he is a part of this list. In a Test against Australia, Boycott came into bat at the end of Day 1 and was dismissed on the morning of Day 3 for a score of 107 off 315 deliveries. England were set a target of 189 runs, and he walked in on the evening of Day 4. He scored 80* and took England home on Day 5.
3. Kim Hughes vs England, 1980
This was a one-off Test Match at Lord’s. Hughes scored 47 runs on Day 1 and only 35 on Day 2 as the majority of the day was washed out. He was dismissed on Day 3 for a knock of 117 runs. He again walked out to bat on Day 4 and batted till the final day of the game until he was dismissed for 84 runs.
4. Allan Lamb vs West Indies, 1984
Lamb achieved this feat at Lord’s, becoming the 2nd English cricketer after Boycott to bat on all five days. He scored 23 runs off 77 balls across the first 2 days. In the second innings, his knock started at the end of Day 3 and ended at 110 on the morning of Day 5. This knock came against the likes of Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner.
5. Ravi Shastri vs England, 1984
India’s current head coach Ravi Shastri was the second Indian to have achieved this feat. In a rain-affected match, India batted for 200 overs spread across 4 days, scoring 437/7, with Shastri batting on all 4 days. He then scored a rock-solid 7 off 59 balls the next day in the 2nd innings to draw the match.
6. Adrian Griffith vs New Zealand, 1999
Talented left-hander Griffith entered this unique club at Hamilton. He scored 114 runs in the first innings and was dismissed on Day 2. After New Zealand posted 393 runs in reply, he walked into bat at the end of Day 3. Day 4 was rain-affected and he got out for 18 runs on the final day of the Test.
7. Andrew Flintoff vs India, 2006
Flintoff surely comes across as a surprise entry in this list, given his explosive nature with the bat. He made this record in Mohali. In a rain-marred game, England batted for 103 overs in 3 days. Flintoff scored 70 runs in the first innings. He again scored a half-century in the second innings- 16 of which came on Day 4 and 35 on Day 5.
8. Alviro Peterson vs New Zealand, 2012
Former South Africa Test opener Alviro Peterson is the only South African to have made this unique record. Peterson scored a fluent 156 at Wellington in a span of 3 days. In the second innings, he continued the batting along with Graeme Smith. He was run-out for 39 runs the next morning, as the match ended in a draw.
9. Cheteshwar Pujara vs Sri Lanka, 2017
India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara seems like a familiar name one would expect to see in this list. His half-century in the first innings was spread across three days, as the first two days were rain-hit. He then came into bat in the 2nd innings at the end of the fourth day. He got out for 22 runs on the morning of the last day of the Test.
10. Rory Burns vs Australia, 2019
Burns came in to bat at the end of day 1 in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. He stuck around the entire second day, scoring a century. He was dismissed for 133 runs on the morning of day 3. He had to walk in to bat once again at the end of Day 4. However, he ended up getting dismissed for a paltry score of 11 on the morning of the final day.
