No batsman in world cricket likes to bat at the fag end of a day’s play in Test cricket. On the other hand, the bowling unit always looks for the opportunity to claim a wicket or two in the final few overs of the day. In a bid to counter the situation, the teams often send a lower-order batsman higher up the order, also known as the night-watchman.
The night watchman’s sole responsibility is to defend his wicket during that small period and ensure that the team ends the day’s play unscathed. But, there have been some occasions when a night watchman showcased his batting prowess and scored big knocks with the bat.
In this article, we will be taking a look at five such knocks by a nightwatchman in Test cricket:
5. Syed Kirmani 101* vs Australia (1979)
While Kirmani played a key role for India in the 1983 World Cup, the wicketkeeper wasn’t known for his batting. However, the 1979 series against Australia at home saw Kirmani pull out perhaps the best innings of his career.
The wicketkeeper walked into the Bombay Test under lights and became a headache for the Aussie bowlers. The inning saw Kirmani play almost over five hours and ended up scoring 101* off 206 deliveries in a game that saw India pick up the win by a towering margin of an innings and 100 runs.
4. Tony Mann 105 vs India (1977)
The Australian leg spinner Tony Mann never had the chance to make the most of his red ball career. The Aussie bowler featured in just 4 Test matches in his career before he was shown the way out of the team. However, despite his short tenure in whites, Mann holds the record for being the first Australian night watchman to score a red ball ton.
With Australia and India edging for a win at the Perth Test of the 1977 India Tour of Australia, Mann, singlehandedly, helped the hosts pick up a two-wicket win.
With both openers J Dyson and CS Serjeant failing to cross the 15-run mark, it was Tony Mann, who walked into the middle and scored an impressive 105 runs off 183 deliveries.
3. Mark Boucher 108 vs England (1999)
While Mark Boucher has played a lot of good knocks in his Test cricket career, his Boxing Day knock against England in the 1999 series should go down as one of the best innings by the South African batsman. After the hosts were bowled out for just 156 runs in their first innings, they needed something special from their batters in their second essay.
Skipper Gary Kirsten was the focal point of the innings as he scored 275 runs to take the match to a draw. But, it was Boucher, who stood alongside his captain, scoring a brilliant 108. The pair together put on a 192-run stand, helping their team get back into the game.
2. Mark Boucher 125 vs Zimbabwe (1999)
The South African tour of Zimbabwe in 1999 will be known for a lot of reasons. The series saw multiple Proteas batters put their skills to the test against their shifty rivals. However, the Harare Test saw the team in deep trouble with no batters apart from Jacques Kallis managing to stick in the middle for long.
With wickets falling from one end, Boucher walked in as a night watchman as the wicketkeeper and ended up registering the then-highest score as a night watchman. He scored 125 runs off 236 deliveries to help his team put up a dominant 462 runs on the board.
1. Jason Gillespie 201* vs Bangladesh (2006)
Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie broke Mark Boucher’s record on the Australian tour of Bangladesh in 2006. After Australia had skittled out Bangladesh for 197, they lost Hayden for 67 right before the end of the day’s play.
Australia sent Gillespie as a night watchman and what was followed was one of the best knocks by a bowler. Gillespie batted for 425 deliveries and went on to score an unbeaten 201-run knock in 425 balls.
His innings saw Australia put up a fearsome 581 runs on the board. The hosts in return, had no reply as they bundled out for 304 in their second innings. Australia picked up a dominant win by an innings and 80 runs.
