Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Highest run chases by England in Tests | List of highest run chases by England in Tests
England have pulled off their highest successful run chase in Tests, making a mockery of the 378-run target set by India in the fifth and final Test.
The duo of Joe Root and Johnny Bairstow piled up an unbeaten 269 runs in just 52.3 overs to lead England home from a shaky position of 109/3. After playing their first Test way back in 1877, this England team has now created history.
List of highest run chases in Tests by England
On that backdrop, let us take a look at their highest fourth-innings feats in this article.
1. 378/3 vs India at Edgbaston, 2022
“When you go at 4.5 an over regularly, it’s very hard for the bowling attack to come back at you,” said Joe Root after another sublime hundred for England. He and Jonny Bairstow, who scored four centuries in three consecutive Tests, have written themselves into English folklore by knocking 269 of the 378 in an incredible partnership.
The chase of 378 marks the fourth successive successful run chase by England in their summer. They had chased 250+ in each of their three Tests against New Zealand.
2. 362/9 vs Australia at Headingley Leeds, 2019
With the Ashes on the line, Ben Stokes produced a cult classic on the final day of the Headingley Test in August 2019 in a knock that will forever be recorded in the history books in golden letters.
Chasing 359, England was reduced to 286-9 at one point in time. But Stokes, who had bided his time until then, partnered with Jack Leach to pile up 76 runs for the final wicket. Leach scored a solitary run in that partnership as Stokes assumed total responsibility to launch an all-out attack that absolutely dismantled the Aussie bowling attack en route his 135* and helped England win the game against all odds.
3. 332/7 vs Australia at Melbourne, 1928
The mere fact that England can potentially surpass a record that it created over 94 years ago makes Wednesday even more special. Under the captaincy of Percy Chapman, England had chased down 332 at the loss of seven wickets in the third Test of the Ashes in 1928/29.
Opener Herbert Sutcliffe had toiled hard for his 135 off 462 deliveries and departed with the team requiring only 14 runs to get to the target. Sir Jack Hobbs and Patsy Hendren played fine supporting hands with 49 and 45 runs respectively but Sutcliffe was the original architect behind this monumental chase.
4. 315/4 vs Australia at Leeds, 2001
Significant fourth-inning chases require at least one batsman from to play out of his skin to secure a victory for the side. Mark Butcher’s unbeaten 173 off 227 deliveries at the Leeds Test in 2001 in a prime example of the same.
Australia’s incredible bowling unit of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Shane Warne were unable to unsettle England’s cruising moment due to the sheer defiance and temperament put forth by Butcher. Nasser Hussain had played a fine knock of 55 runs to support Butcher’s effort and get England from 33/2 to 214/3. However, it was Butcher who held his ground until the very end to bring off a run-chase for the ages!
5. 307/6 vs New Zealand at Christchurch, 1997
The Christchurch coup is even more remarkable given that England managed to pull this one off in a foreign land. A then-newbie Daniel Vettori had taken four wickets to break the back of the English batting line-up in a challenging chase of 307 runs.
However, Mike Atherton’s 118 runs set the foundation for the lower-order duo of John Crawley and Dominic Cork to steer the visitors to a victory eventually. Crawley and Cork put up 40 and 39 runs in 113 and 123 deliveries respectively take England from 231/6 to the target quite seamlessly.
6. 299/5 vs New Zealand at Trent Bridge Nottingham, 2022
Brendon McCullum found quite a style to introduce the English fans to BazBall against his own country. The very same English batting unit that looked to be in tatters under the previous regime discovered its own charisma and mojo under the new head coach.
Their chase of 299 in only 50 overs on the final day of the Nottingham Test was a testament to the brand of cricket that they are set to adopt in the coming times. Jonny Bairstow notched 136 runs in only 92 deliveries whereas Stokes scored 75 off 70 balls to carry off a chase much similar to their numerous such acts in limited-overs cricket since 2015.
