THE RUN CHASE

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Antigua Recreation Ground, Antigua [9-13 May 2003].

In the summer of 2003, the Australian cricket team toured the West Indies to play 4 tests and 7 One Day Internationals. The Aussies were in red-hot form as they defended their World Cup title a month ago. However, the Windies were equally strong in their home. So, everyone expected a strong contest between the two great cricketing nations. Unfortunately, the same did not happen, as the Visitors trampled upon the Hosts. At the conclusion of the third test, the Aussies were 3-0 up in the series, and the clouds of whitewash were looming before the Windies. The final test was thus a battle of prestige for the Hosts. 

Australian Captain Steve Waugh won the toss in the final test and decided to bat first. Unfortunately, no Aussie batter was able to cross the 50-run mark as the visitors scored a below-par score of 240 in their first innings. Jermaine Lawson stood strong for the Windies as he picked up 7 wickets in the first innings. However, the Aussies made a strong comeback with the ball and dismissed the Windies for 240 in their first innings. Hence, the match was on a knife edge now, and it would be the second innings that would decide the course of the game. 

The Aussie openers came out strong in the second innings as they stitched together an opening partnership of 242 runs. Matthew Hayden scored a mammoth 177 of 260 deliveries as the visitors posted a total of massive total of 417 in their second innings. Apart from Hayden, Langer too scored a gritty 111 as the hosts got hammered in all parts of the ground. The Windies now needed 418 runs to win and avoid a shameful whitewash at home. 

It wasn't going to be an easy task. Furthermore, the Aussies picked up 3 quick wickets and reduced the Windies to 74/3. However, Captain Lara (60), Ramnaresh Sarwan (105), and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (104) played significant knocks in this pressure situation and brought the hosts back into the game. However, the trio could not bat till the end, and when Chanderpaul was dismissed, the West Indian scorecard read 372/7, 46 runs still short of the target. To make matters worse, no specialist batsman was present in the middle, which meant three good deliveries and the game would have ended in another Aussie victory.

However, this is when Omari Banks and Vasbert Drakes came into action. The duo stitched an unbeaten partnership of 46 runs and snatched the victory from the jaws of the Aussies. The stadium erupted with joy when the winning run was hit. After all, it was one of the greatest run chases in the history of test cricket. It was truly a remarkable finish to one of the great tests ever played in the Caribbean. 

To watch that Historic Run Chase, Click Here.