Top 5 Batsmen With Most Test Centuries In Fourth Innings

A Test century scored in any inning of a Test match is nothing less than a significant accomplishment. Batsmen have to bat with plenty of patience and perseverance to reach the milestone. However, a hundred in the fourth innings of a game in whites is far more commendable than the other three.

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Usually, a hundred in the final leg of a Test comes to either save a Test or win the same. The reason a fourth inning century deserve all the praise since the pitch and conditions become favourable to the fielding side. Over the course of three innings, the deck deteriorates to the extent that the batters are unable to control their knock. Under such circumstances, a century in an effort to prevent the loss or deny the opposition victory is an honourable feat.

We take a look at five batsmen with most hundreds in the fourth innings of a Test match:

5. Graeme Smith – 4

Former South African skipper Graeme Smith joins the likes of Ponting, Sarwan, Younis, and Gavaskar in the list. After the spot-fixing scandal in 2000, Smith restored Proteas’ confidence in world cricket. He is the most successful captain in Tests, boasting of 53 victories in 109 games.

Amongst Jacques Kallis, Ab de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, and Gary Kirsten, Smith squeezed himself through some invaluable knocks. The 39-year old accumulated four centuries in the fourth innings with two of them coming against Australia and the remaining two against England and New Zealand.

When talking of context, all four centuries were crucial as each one resulted in a win. But the one that may stand above the rest was the knock of 108 against Australia in 2008 in Perth. In pursuit of 414, the skipper led the way with 108 to set the platform for the chase. Another hundred from De Villiers and fifties from Kallis, Hashim Amla, and JP Duminy gave the tourists an emphatic victory.

4. Ricky Ponting – 4

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting also has four Test centuries under his belt in the fourth innings of a Test. Ponting has arguably been a significant figure in Australia’s rise to dominance in all the forms of cricket. With over 13000 runs in ODIs and Tests, the Tasmanian is their leading run-getter in both the formats. Furthermore, he is also the second-most successful captain in whites with 48 wins from 77 fixtures.

Ponting’s two out of four hundreds came against the Proteas and one each against the Englishmen and Bangladesh. The 45-year old’s highest score of 156 in all these came against England during 2005 Ashes in Manchester. It was a classic captain’s knock which Australia desperately needed to prevent the hosts from taking the lead in the five-match series. Ponting’s predecessor Steve Waugh lauded the innings by claiming that he had graduated as a Test captain.

3. Ramnaresh Sarwan – 4

Ramnaresh Sarwan was another one of those elite batsmen produced by the Caribbean amongst Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brian Lara, and Viv Richards. Along with Chanderpaul, Sarwan carried the hopes of West Indies’ batting responsibilities for several years. His highest score of 291 came against England in 2009, equalling the record of Sir Vivian Richards for West Indies.

Amongst Sarwan’s four Test centuries in the fourth innings, two came against Australia and one each against Sri Lanka and England. Although the 39-year old’s highest among these was 128 against Australia in 2008, it wasn’t as famous as his knock of 105 in 2003 against the same opponents.

The knock of 105 came in pursuit of 418 in the final innings to win the Test in St. John’s. The Guyanese top-scored during the mammoth hunt as the hosts successfully gunned down the target to emerge victorious. The record chase of 418 remains the highest till date.

2. Sunil Gavaskar – 4

Sunil Gavaskar was not only one of the greatest opening batsmen for India, but also in the world. Gavaskar was the first to cross the landmark of 10000 runs in Test cricket. The Mumbai batsman’s tally of 34 Test centuries wasn’t breached until 2005. It was Sachin Tendulkar, his countrymen, who took the honours of becoming the leading Test centurion.

His highest score among these four hundreds was 221 against England at The Oval in 1979. That day India genuinely dreamed of creating a world record by successfully chasing 438 in the final innings. Unfortunately, the tourists lost eight wickets en route to the pursuit, falling nine runs short with the game resulting in a draw.

1. Younis Khan – 5

Pakistan’s legendary batsman Younis Khan heads the list with five centuries in the final inning of an international red-ball match. In 2015, Younis became the highest run-getter for Pakistan in Tests, overtaking Javed Miandad’s tally of 8832 runs. He is also the only Pakistani batsman to cross 10000 runs.

Amongst his five hundreds, three of those came against South Africa and one each against India and Sri Lanka. The 42-year old’s highest score among these was an unbeaten 171 against Sri Lanka, leading a mammoth run-chase of 377 in 2015.

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