Falling short of a milestone by just one run is an agonizing moment for a batsman. Especially in Tests, when there is a possibility to score double-centuries and triple-centuries, missing this milestone by a narrow margin is almost a nightmare. We have witnessed a few batsmen who have gone through this disappointment. In this article, we talk about eleven batsmen who were dismissed for 199 in Test Cricket.
1) Mudassar Nazar (Pakistan) – 1984 vs India
The first player to get dismissed for 199 in Test cricket history is Pakistani opener, Mudassar Nazar. When India toured Pakistan back in 1984, this incident occurred in the second encounter.
Team India had put up 500 runs in the first innings, and Pakistan had to produce a strong fightback. In a 250-run partnership with Qasim Umar, Nazar got out on 199. India bowler Shivlal Yadav had the player caught behind by Syed Kirmani in this game.
2) Mohammed Azharuddin (India) – 1986 vs Sri Lanka
Mohammed Azharuddin was the second player to undergo this ordeal. Facing Sri Lanka in this game, Azhar had made 199 runs from 505 balls with 16 boundaries and a six. When he was just about to score his double hundred, he was out LBW. Unfortunately, this was his highest Test score and could not score a double century in his career.
3) Matthew Elliott (Australia) – 1997 vs England
In Australia’s famous win over England at Leeds in 1997, Aussie opener Matthew Elliott was out on 199 runs. He was bowled by Darren Gough and hence had to make the long walk back to the Pavilion. Ricky Ponting, who played at No.6 for Australia in this game, also got a century.
4) Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 1997 vs India
Sri Lanka was under pressure after a Sachin-Ganguly masterclass had given India a slight lead. Sanath Jayasuriya, who had made just 32 runs in the first innings, was in full flow when he came out to bat for the second time in the game. However, he was out on 199, getting bowled by Abey Kuruvilla. The match eventually ended in a draw.
5) Steve Waugh (Australia) – 1999 vs West Indies
In this game, which West Indies won by just one wicket, Aussie captain Steve Waugh became the second batsman from his country to get out on 199. He was out LBW by Nehemiah Perry, thereby ending his 509-minute stay at the crease.
6) Younis Khan (Pakistan) – 2006 vs India
Younis Khan was the first player to be dismissed for 199 in Test cricket in this century. When India had toured Pakistan in 2006, this incident happened in the first game held in Lahore. Even more heartening was the fact that Younis was run out on 199. It was Harbhajan Singh who was the man behind this dismissal.
7) Ian Bell (England) – 2008 vs South Africa
Ian Bell was an underrated cricketer for England. At his peak, he played numerous match-winning knocks for the Three Lions. In this particular game, though, Bell got out on 199 after edging a catch back to South African spinner Paul Harris of his own bowling.
8) Steve Smith (Australia) – 2015 vs West Indies
It was at that time that Steve Smith was blossoming into a superstar batsman. Australia was touring West Indies, and in the second game of the tournament, Steve Smith was out for 199 in the first innings. Jerome Taylor, who picked up six wickets that innings, had Australia’s No.3 caught plumb in front of the wicket. Australia anyways won the game, and Steve Smith was the Man of the Match.
9) KL Rahul (India) – 2016 vs England
This happened in the famous encounter against England at Chennai where Karun Nair became the second Indian to score a triple century. KL Rahul, who opened that game for India, was out on 199. Adil Rashid was the bowler, and to get to his first double hundred quickly, KL tried to make use of a loose delivery but gave an easy catch to Jos Buttler. India made 759 runs in that innings, the highest score in the country’s Test cricket history.
10) Dean Elgar (South Africa) – 2017 vs Bangladesh
Dean Elgar, the current captain of South Africa, was the first player from his nation to get out on 199. Bangladesh was touring South Africa, and in the first game of the series, Elgar got out on 199 in the first innings. Mustafizur Rahman picked the opener’s wicket in that innings.
11) Faf du Plessis (South Africa) – 2020 vs Sri Lanka
South African batsman Faf du Plessis is also one of the unfortunate batsmen to get out on 199. After Sri Lanka put up 396 runs in the first innings, South Africa was under pressure to take the lead as the game was happening at their home ground. The Proteas batsmen were up to the task, and it was Faf, who was at the centre of that powerful batting show which helped them score 621 runs. However, it was a bitter feeling as he was making the walk back just one run short of a milestone.
