Think of a situation where the bowling side has been bowling for over a hundred overs in a Test match and still haven’t cleared up the batting side. It would be frustrating. Technically, when the top seven batsmen get out fast, any bowling side would expect the innings to end soon.
Though it doesn’t happen often, there have been instances when a No. 11 batsman gets settled to play a cameo, hitting fours and sixes. If the last man standing hits a fifty, would it be awesome to watch? Most times, it helps the team an even better total and allows them to get out of the situation of follow-on or even win a match.
So, let us head on to talk about the top five highest scores by a No. 11 batter in Test cricket.
#5 Richard Collinge – 68* vs Pakistan (Auckland, 1973)
We are talking about a left-handed fast bowler and one of the best fast bowlers produced by New Zealand. The extra pace he created with his height was the primary ability that helped him run through the batting lineup. A great thing to know is that he was present in New Zealand’s maiden victory against the mighty Aussies and the English side – teams to beat back then. He had more than 500 first-class wickets, making his name among the most legendary players ever played for the Kiwis.
He doesn’t boast any good records from the batting perspective, but that is quite understandable from a No. 11 batter. However, he put up his best show back in the 1970s. It was against Pakistan where he troubled their bowlers to a large extent with his gritty effort of hitting a half-century. That was the highest score back then for a batsman batting this low. His knock of 68* is the only case you would see for the batsman to stay not out, and this thing isn’t generally seen for a number 11 batsman.
#4 Zaheer Khan – 75 vs Bangladesh (Dhaka, 2004)
Known for his reverse swing ability, this left-handed Indian bowling legend is whom we have up next, Zaheer Khan. He always had that knack for taking wickets, whether dominating on the surface, ing pace bowlers or bowling his often trusted yorkers to dismantle the batting lineups on flat decks. The moment to witness India reach 1st position in Test cricket history back in 2011 was just the best highlight of his career.
Let us focus on his best performance with the bat in his Test career. Nearly two decades back, India was playing its only Test match against Bangladesh when the Indian cricket team fans saw something incredible to witness. From his bowling perspective, it wasn’t that good game for Zaheer, as he had just managed to take two wickets. But with his sensible batting, he could extend the Indian lead. He paired up with the great Sachin Tendulkar and put up a great show contributing 75 runs consisting of 10 boundaries and two hits in the stands. Fun fact: India got to see Sachin and Zaheer slam their highest-ever Test score that day.
#3 James Anderson – 81 vs India (Nottingham, 2014)
He is the only English cricketer to have ever reached a mighty barrier of 600 Test wickets, which also remains untouched in the future. Also, he is the only pace bowler with more than 650+ wickets in Test cricket. Yes, we are talking about James Anderson. A genuine swing bowler every team would like to have. He has just been getting better as he still progresses to play in what has been an outstanding career already.
With India dominating against England that day, Jimmy came in as a saviour for the English side. Not with the bowl this time, but with a bat in hand, ing hands with his fellow mate Joe Root. The English pair put up the highest-ever partnership for the last wicket in Test cricket history. Of the 198 runs this pair had put up, 81 were of Jimmy’s bat. Anderson hit 17 fours in that innings – the highest by a number 11 batsman in Test cricket.
