Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: List of highest successful run chases in Tests at Trent Bridge | What is the highest successful run chase at Trent Bridge?
Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes helped England pull off a heist on the final day of England’s second Test vs New Zealand. The home team chased down 299 runs on the back of a swashbuckling 136 by Bairstow and an equally incredible support act of 75 unbeaten runs by Stokes.
The feat is even more incredible considering that the average fourth innings score at Trent Bridge is only 161 runs. On that note, Cricblog takes a look at the top five run chases in Tests in Trent Bridge.
Highest run chases in Tests at Trent Bridge
1. England: 299/5 vs New Zealand, 2022
The flavours of England’s terrific style of playing limited-overs cricket was visible in the second half of their chase on Tuesday. They stood at only 93/4 in the 26th over when Tim Southee dismissed Alex Leech for a well-made 44. England went on to score a whopping 206 runs in the next 24.4 overs to emerge victorious in the contest. Both Bairstow and Stokes notched runs at a strike rate of 147.83 and 107.14 respectively to scale a feat that looked quite unlikely at the start of the fifth day of the game.
2. England: 284/6 vs New Zealand, 2004
Interestingly, New Zealand was at the receiving end of another such bashing from England on this ground in 2004. Graham Thorpe was the hero of that game as he scored an unbeaten 104 runs in the fourth innings to take the side home along with a gritty 36-run knock from Ashley Giles. Mark Butcher had played a handy innings of 59 runs to in the initial half of the chase too. However, the Kiwis had an arguably lesser proficient bowling attack at that time as compared to the one this time around!
3. England: 247/2 vs South Africa 1998
Back in 1998, Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart had powered England to take a fancied South African attack, comprising the likes of Jacques Kallis, Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock to task at Trent Bridge with a successful chase of 247. Atherton remained unbeaten at 98 whereas Stewart scored a quickfire 45 to help England win the game against all odds.
Even Nasser Hussian put up a strong fight for his 58 runs off 170 deliveries but it was Stewart who struck nine boundaries to enable England emerge triumphant in the final phase of the chase.
4. West Indies: 209/8 vs ENG, 1980
Who else but the charismatic Caribbeans from back in the days could make it to this list? The Clive Lloyd-led side was given a target of 208 runs by the Englishmen in this very stadium in 1980. Sir Vivian Richards provided a strong start by scoring 48 of the team’s first 69 runs. England saw an opening via his dismissal by Sir Ian Botham but the likes of Desmond Haynes (48), Andy Roberts (22) and Faoud Bacchus (19) put up a spirited performance with the bat to help the West Indies cross over the finishing line in the conTest.
5. England: 189/3 vs AUS, 1977
The fifth-highest fourth-innings chase in this ground was by the English team led by Mike Brearley against Greg Chappell’s Australia in 1977. Having reached to the target at a brisk pace in the 82nd over, England’s win was particularly driven by Brearley and Geoff Boycott’s laudable knocks of 81 and 80 runs respectively. Boycott ensured that he remained not out and saw through the chase for England irrespective of them losing three quick wickets near to the target.
