Four Historic Tests When A Team Was Dismissed Twice In A Day

Ever since its inception, Test cricket has evolved from defensive knocks to more of the aggressive batting display. The longer format of the game is considered as more of batsmen friendly version of Cricket. Scoring runs or taking wickets in the five-day-long game is exhausting for both the batsmen and the bowlers alike.

However, both the bowlers and the batsmen have accumulated several records in the five-day-long game. From the very beginning of cricket, Test has been the primary and the important version of the game.

With the numerous records set and broken in the prime game, there is a rare record of entire getting dismissed twice within a day. In Test cricket, there are no runs limits but each team has the limit of picking maximum 20 wickets in the five days.

In the few interesting games, the teams have been successful to pick complete 20 wickets in the two innings. But, there also have rare incidences when the target is achieved within a day. It is a rare occasion when the audience had witnessed a team picking complete 20 wickets within a day.

Let us take a brief look at the four recorded rare feats of the Test cricket.

Four historic Tests when a team was dismissed twice in a day

4 Afghanistan v India (2018)

In June 2018, Afghanistan visited India for the only Test cricket. The visiting Afghanistan National Cricket team were playing their debut Test against India. However, the supposedly interesting debut Test turned out to be a nightmare for the visitors.

Batting first, the Indian openers – Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan gave an exquisite performance. With both of them securing a hundred each, the two rain-stormed the Afghani bowlers with non-stop boundaries.

Vijay scored 105 runs with 15 fours and a six, while Dhawan perfected a 96-ball 107 studded with 19 fours and three sixes. After the stunning beginning, KL Rahul (54) and Hardik Pandya (71) carried on the rest of the work. India asserted a total of 475 runs target before the day ended.

After India’s batting display on the first day, it was a totally different view on the following day. None of the Afghanistani batters were able to stand against the Indian defence squad. Apart from Mohammad Nabi’s struggling 24, none of the Afghanistan players were able to stand against the bamboozling bowling by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Within 28 overs of the game, India had entire Afghanistan back in the stands for mere 109 runs. The same fate repeated in the as the Indian bowlers had maintained their hold over the visiting batsmen.

With Jadeja’s spell of 4/17 and Umesh Yadav’s 3/26, Afghanistan was again out of the game within 39 overs for mere 103 runs. Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah and skipper Asghar Afghan were the only run-getters, scoring 36 runs and 25 runs respectively.

While the visiting Afghanistan gave their best in the game, they failed to survive one full day against the Indian bowlers. It was the only fourth time when a team was dismissed twice within a day.

3 Zimbabwe v New Zealand (2012)

It was the second time when Zimbabwe was at the receiving end of the lethal New Zealanders in the Test game. In Jan 2012, Zimbabwe toured New Zealand for a one-off Test game that turned out to be the third disastrous (their second) fixture in the Test history.

Being asked to bat first, the hosts accumulated a massive 496 runs target for Zimbabwe on the first day of the game. The two openers gave the necessary starting push with a half-century compiled by each of them.

The then skipper Taylor and wicketkeeper, Watling paired up together to score a partnership of near 200 runs in the game. Taylor orchestrated 122 runs with 13 fours and two sixes, while Watling accumulated 102 runs.

By the end of the first day, New Zealand had asserted a total of 495 runs for the loss of seven wickets.

Zimbabwe took off the second day with a deafening speed of the falling wickets as they were rendered speechless for a mere total of 51 within 29 overs. Chris Martin ended up being the most successful wicket-taker in the first innings with the spell of 2/5 with two out of the six overs as maidens.

The same fate repeated in the next innings as the two Zimbabwean openers were gone for 2 and 0 runs, respectively. However, this time the middle-order batsman, Chakabva went on to put up a fight for 63 runs before he was caught by Brownlie off of Martin. With two more 20 plus runs, this time Zimbabwe ended with 143 runs in mere 49 overs.

New Zealand won the one-off Test by an innings and 301 runs with Chris Martin being the star of the game for his 6/26 in the second innings.

2 Zimbabwe v New Zealand (2005)

Six years before the disastrous defeat of Zimbabwe, New Zealand travelled to Zimbabwe for two-match Test series. Opening the series at Harare, the visiting Kiwi team struggled at the beginning of the game.

After a brief push from Fleming’s 73, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori took over the charge of sailing the scoreboard of New Zealand. The two Black Caps went on to throttle the bowling squad of Zimbabwe with boundaries. McCullum posted 111 runs for 15 fours and a six, whereas, Vettori packed a 98-ball 127 along with 20 fours and two sixes.

By the end of the first day, New Zealand has piled up 452 runs for the loss of nine wickets.

The hosts, on the other hand, stood at the other side of the nightmarish Test game. Rattled by the spells of Martin’s 3/21 with a maiden and Franklin’s 3/11, Zimbabwe could not get a hold on their wickets. Within 20 overs of their first innings, the entire Zimbabwe team was back at the pavilion for a mere total of 59 runs.

With the hope of a different start in the second innings, the hosts witnessed the same fate. Apart from Masakadza’s fighting 79-ball 42, none of the Zimbabweans were able to score past 10 runs. Eventually, the entire team went back to the stands for 99 runs in 50 overs.

Vettori emerged as the star bowler in the second innings with the figures of 4/28 and four maidens. New Zealand took the lead 1-0 in the series as they won the first Test by an innings and 294 runs.

1 India v England (1952)

The tragic Test defeat recorded in the Indian cricket history comes from the infamous Summer of 52. Not only did India was whitewashed in the three-match series but also faced the worst fate in the Test game.

After defeating India in the first two Tests, England charged up the third and last Test at Manchester on 17 July, 1952. The Indian bowlers managed a decent bowling spell as England summed up at total 347 runs by the end of the first day. The opener, and skipper, Hutton scored a century while May (69) and Evans (71) scoring a fifty each.

India, however, received the worst blow of the cricketing times. Apart from Manjrekar’s struggling 22 and Hazare’s 16, the entire India team could accumulate mere 58 runs. And the entire damage was done by the single English bowler – Trueman who picked 8/31 with two maidens in the first deafening innings.

The second innings was ruled by the two English bowlers – Bedser and Lock. Once again, the Indian batters were unable to hold their stance against the English bowling spell. One by one India lost all the wickets for mere 82 runs. Bedser picked 5/27 with six maidens, while, Lock quenched his thirst with 4/36.

India was dismissed twice in a day for 58 and 82 runs which was the first-ever disastrous Test spells written in the cricket history.