Five best Test innings from 2020

The year 2020 had less of Test cricket than the average calendar year. But one distinctive feature of this year was the even contest between bat and ball in the longest format. This was partially due to conditions and partially due to high quality of bowling. 

However, some batsmen rose to the challenge and played knocks that have become memorable. These knocks were the best we saw in 2020 because of the context in which they were played as well as the quality of bowling 

As we enter a new year full of great prospects, let’s look back at the best five innings we witnessed in 2020 and recount the exploits of batsmen who played them. 

5. Jos Buttler (75 vs Pakistan, Manchester)

On paper, Chris Woakes made a bigger contribution than Jos Buttler in their team’s chase of a 277-run target. Indeed, Woakes played a stellar role in not just forming a match-winning partnership but also seeing his side home despite a late wobble. 

However, there is a very good reason why Buttler’s knock deserves to be rated higher. When the two batsmen got together at the crease, England were tottering at 5/117. Even more worrying for England was the fact that Yasir Shah, Pakistan’s ace bowler, was creating a lot of trouble for the batsmen. 

That’s when Buttler made a brilliant tactical move. He decided to go after Yasir and even employ the reverse sweep. This got the scoreboard moving, which, in a chase, puts the pressure back on the bowling side. This tactic also broke the rhythm of Yasir. Even more crucially, due to Buttler’s aggression, Pakistan decided to not bowl Yasir after the tea break that happened when these two batsmen were together. 

Buttler and Woakes took the game away from Pakistan in the final session of the day and when the wicketkeeper-batsman was dismissed, by none other than Yasir, England were just 21 away from a win. It was the bravery of Buttler, in face of adversity, that got England this wonderful win. 

4. Jermaine Blackwood (95 vs England, Southampton)

Many, including the great Michael Holding had been critical of Jermaine Blackwood for being a one-gear batsman. They believed he doesn’t play according to the situation and goes for his high risk shot in a careless manner. 

Blackwood showed that he is now no longer guilty of that by playing a wonderfully calculated knock in a tense chase for his team that earned the Windies a memorable victory. The visitors had a target of 200 to chase on a lively pitch and against bowlers like James Anderson, Jofra Archer, and Ben Stokes. 

At 3/27, effectively 4/27 due to a batsman being injured, West Indies looked doomed. But then, Blackwood came in and played with great intelligence. He did play the aggressive shots he is known for but also defended stoutly when required to. More importantly, he never got over-ambitious and look for more boundaries than was required at the moment. 

When his team was 11 away from a win, the right-hander went for a big hit to get him closer to boundary. Unfortunately, he couldn’t clear mid-off but had done the job. Even Michael Holding praised him for his effort, a sign of redemption and vindication. 

3. Dom Sibley (133* vs South Africa, Cape Town)

England had been searching widely for a good opening pair in Test cricket for many years. Their concerns were finally alleviated in South Africa thanks to good performances from Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley. 

However, it was Sibley who emerged as the bigger star of the two in South Africa with an exceptional knock at Cape Town. In a match that had been in the balance till then, Sibley, who looks rather ungainly in the way he sets up at the crease, batted beautifully against a highly-capable South African bowling line-up to bring up his maiden Test century. 

The way he dealt with the pace of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, along with the metronomic accuracy of Vernon Philander was a testament to his quality. It also showed that despite lacking elegance, he possessed that grit and perseverance that can turn ordinary players into greats. 

2. Kane Williamson (129 vs Pakistan, Mount Maunganui)

The biggest tribute to this batting performance by Kane Williamson is the fact that Pakistan bowled very well on a green surface, on the opening day of a two-match series, but didn’t have much success. 

The main reason for their failure was the exceptional batting by the New Zealand captain. He put on a display of batting that can easily qualify as a masterclass on how to deal with seamer-friendly conditions. 

Using tonnes of patience, Williamson watched every ball very carefully, didn’t play at any deliveries he didn’t need to, went for his drives and pulls only when the bowlers overpitched or underpitched respectively, and used an impermeable defence against deliveries he had to play. There was almost not a single careless shot in his innings. 

Pakistani pacers maintained a good, testing line and length throughout the day. It was only the greatness of the Kiwi captain that foiled their efforts. Few players can match the mental fortitude Williamson showed on that day. 

1. Azhar Ali (141 vs England, Southampton)

Captaining his team, having already suffered a bad loss in the first Test, and facing serious questions about his form, Azhar Ali found himself in even more trouble when his team was reduced to 4/30. However, the skipper showed that he is made of stern stuff by playing one of the best knocks of his career. 

In conditions where there was some help for the bowlers, he took on the an attack consisting of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, and Jofra Archer, and carved out a magnificent century. 

He also put to bed all the questions about his technique in this knock that was played in serious adversity. The shots that came out of Ali’s bat were a delight to watch. But it was his resistance to the wiles and skills of the English pace attack that made the innings a truly memorable one for him and his team. 

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