Defending low scores in cricket can be a difficult task. A small total can be seen as a simple and easy task. There might be a sense of overzealousness and over-confidence. However, there have been times when low scores have been defended. These kind of stories reminisces the classic of the tortoise and the hare.
A 232-year old record has been broken in Karachi, where Pakistan TV (PTV) pulled off the lowest successful defence in the history of first-class cricket. They defended a target of 40 against Sui Northern (SNGPL) to win their President's Trophy match by two runs.
Amad Butt top-scored with 46* as PTV were bowled out for 166 after Shamyl Hussain won the toss and opted to bat at the National Stadium. For SNGPL, Shehzad Gul claimed 4-40. In response, wicketkeeper, Saifullah Bangash (71) lifted SNGPL from 129-7 to 238 as Butt (3-42), Israr Hussain (3-66) and Ali Usman (4-66) shared the wickets.
PTV were 99-5 at stumps on the second day; they led by a mere 27. They could only add a mere 12 to their overnight total. In fact, they lost all five remaining wickets for five runs in eight balls – in a sequence that read wicket, wicket, four, wicket, dot, leg-bye, wicket, wicket. Shehzad Gul (5-28) and Sajid Khan (3-28) caused the damage to restrict SNGPL’s target to 40.
A smaller target has never been defended in first-class cricket. The previous record had stood since 1794, when Oldfield successfully defended 41 against MCC at the Lord's Old Ground to win by six runs.
PTV now needed to break a 232-year-old world record to win the game: defending 41 in 1794, Oldfield had bowled out the MCC for 34, which stood as the lowest successfully defended total in first-class cricket. They did exactly that.
Butt (4-28) and Usman (6-9) bowled unchanged to skittle SNGPL for 37 in 19.4 overs. In fact, SNGPL were 22-7 at one point before, but Bangash (14) gave them a chance before being ninth out.
In Karachi, defending 40, PTV bowled SNGPL, who are captained by current Pakistan Test captain, Shan Masood, out for 37 to snatch a sensational two-run win. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, who was the leading wicket-taker at this year's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, took 6 for 9, while fast bowler Amad Butt took the other four.
Low-scoring matches and quick games have been a staple at this year's President's Trophy, though the first two innings in this game were relatively routine. PTV were bowled out for 166 in the first innings after which SNGPL took a 72-run lead by scoring 238. With the pitches in Karachi deteriorating quickly, PTV being dismissed for 111 appeared to have set up victory for SNGPL before the miracle defence.
In terms of One Day Internationals (ODIs), U.S.A. holds the record. U.S.A. have set the record for the lowest total successfully defended in a full men's ODI. They beat Oman by 57 runs after scoring just 122 in their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Al Amerat.
The previous lowest total successfully defended in a full ODI (not reduced) was India's 125 against Pakistan in the Rothmans Four-Nations Cup in 1985. They won that match by 38 runs in Sharjah.
U.S.A.'s fixture against Oman was dominated by spin. All nine bowlers used in the game were spinners, making it the first completed men's ODI ever - after 4 671 matches - without a single ball bowled by a fast bowler.
The 19 wickets that fell also equalled the record for most wickets taken in an ODI by spinners, level with a Bangladesh-Pakistan ODI in Chattogram in 2011. Nosthush Kenjige took a career-best of 5-11 as Oman were dismissed for 65 in 25.3 overs.
U.S.A. and Oman scored a total of only 187 runs in 61 overs, the second-lowest aggregate in an ODI where both teams were dismissed. The 41-over game between India and Bangladesh in 2014 had an aggregate of 163 runs.
The dominance of spinners and low totals have been a trend at Al Amerat, especially in games involving the hosts Oman. Teams batting first have been dismissed for fewer than 170 in all eight of Oman's matches, while the other four games had 240-plus totals.
In the previous match, Oman lost eight wickets in their chase of 96 against Namibia. JJ Smit was the only fast bowler in that game who bowled an over. Three of the four men's ODIs where spinners took 17 or more wickets have been at Al Amerat.
In T20 international cricket, Nigeria holds the record for defending a total of 90 against fellow African country, Sierra Leone. Nigeria won the toss and got bowled out for 90 after 17.4 overs. There were only two double digit scores (20 & 30). Chima Akachukwu was the top scorer. George Sesay was the pick of the bowlers for figures of 3-8 after 1.4 overs bowled.
In reply, Sierra Leone, responded with similar scores. The two digit scores were 17 and 34. Samuel Conteh scored the latter. Peter Aho was the chief destroyer with figures of 6-5 after 3.5 overs bowled. Sierra Leone were bowled out for 71 and leading to Nigeria winning by 19 runs.
In the nearly 150-year history of Test cricket, only twice has a team successfully defended a target of less than 100. Both instances occurred 118 years apart. There have been 17 other instances of successful defences of targets between 100 and 150 at the time of writing, but only three of those have come in the 21st century.
In an extremely low-scoring Test at The Oval in 1882, Australia batted first and folded for 63, before bowling out England for 101 thanks to a seven-for by Frederick Spofforth. A slightly better batting performance in the second innings where opener, Hugh Massie, scored 55 off 60 and the rest of the line-up made 67 in 53 overs, saw Australia set England a target of 85.
At 51-2, England looked well on course for an easy win before a collapse saw them reduced to 70-5. A second collapse saw them get bowled out for 77, eight short of the target. Spofforth finished with another seven-wicket haul, taking his match tally to 14-90. "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia," lamented a subsequent mock obituary in The Sporting Times. By the time England left for the Australian shores later that year, the press backed to them to win the ashes (still in small letters) back.
In the first Test between West Indies and Zimbabwe at Port-of-Spain in 2000, West Indies were bowled out for 187 in the first innings before conceding a lead of 49 runs. Andy Flower scored an unbeaten hundred (113*) for Zimbabwe. When West Indies were bowled out for 147 in the second innings, setting up a target of only 99 for the visitors, there wasn't a lot of hope but the Zimbabwe batting line-up didn't turn up. Apart from Grant Flower's painstaking 126-ball 26, none of the batters went into double digits as they folded for 63, losing the game by 35 runs.
In the 2004-05 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, after winning the Bengaluru and Nagpur Tests by huge margins and securing the series, the Aussies came to Mumbai high on confidence. Knocking India over for 104 in the first innings, Australia took a 99-run lead. India could only manage 205 in the third innings, thanks to Michael Clarke's famous 6-9. Chasing 107, Australia would've fancied their chances of ending the series without losing a game but the spin-trio of Harbhajan Singh (5-29); Murali Kartik (3-32) and Anil Kumble (1-5) ensured India registered one of their most memorable Test wins at home.
In the first Test of the 1887 tour of Australia, England registered their lowest Test score ever - 45, as Charlie Turner (6-15) and JJ Ferris (4-27) shared the spoils. Australia made 119 in response, before England improved on their first innings outing to score 184 in the second innings. Chasing 111, Australia were 58-4 at one stage, before it came crashing down as they were bowled out for 97 in 107 overs. Billy Barnes bowled an incredible spell of 46-29-28-6 to take England to a 13-run victory.
In 1896, England gave Australia the exact same target, 111, this time at The Oval. This came after they had squandered a 26-run lead in the first innings to get dismissed for just 84 in the second. Australia's Hugh Trumble took a six-for in each innings. However, if they were able to get close to the target in Sydney, Australia never begun their chase here. By the time they reached 11, they had lost six wickets. By the time they reached 25, they had lost nine. A 19-run tenth wicket partnership took them to 44, their third-lowest total in Test cricket.
In these kind of situations, one shouldn't believe that they can easily reach the total without any risk. Conditions may change and batting may not come easy. It's therefore vital to stay grounded. Regardless of what the total is, I will always say that the team needs to take it nice and easy.
The story of the tortoise and the hare can truly be a life lesson - not only in sport. It's important to take things at a slow pace and not rush through certain steps or accelerate through a process. One step at a time can certainly lead to success.