Bangladesh secured a historic four-wicket win in their 100th Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, a result that enabled them to draw the two-match series 1-1. This was only their ninth Test victory, and first against and in Sri Lanka. With this achievement, Bangladesh became the fourth nation to emerge on the winning side in this milestone match. Here is a look back at how each team fared in their 100th Test match.
England (Headingley, 1909)
England became the first nation to play 100 Tests, when they took on Australia in the third Test of the 1909 Ashes. Despite being limited to 188 in the first innings, Australia fought back to take a six-run lead courtesy of Charles Macartney, who took 7/58 with his left-arm spin. England eventually needed 214 for victory, but they caved in to the pace-spin duo of Tibby Cotter (5/38) and Macartney (4/27) to lose by 126 runs.
Australia (Old Trafford, 1912)
This was the first match of the unique Triangular Tournament, featuring the three Test nations of that time - hosts England, Australia and South Africa. Centuries from opener Charles Kelleway (114) and the seasoned southpaw Warren Bardsley (121) put Australia in the box seat on the first day, helping them post an imposing 448. Sid Pegler, bowling a mix of medium pace and leg breaks, returned 6/105.
The next day belonged to leg-spinner Jimmy Matthews, who bowled his way into the record books with a hat-trick in each innings – no other bowler has achieved this feat till date. South Africa fought well in the first innings, reaching 265 (Aubrey Faulkner scoring 122*), but folded for just 95 in the second, with Kelleway snaring 5/33. Remarkably, the two hat-tricks were Matthews’ only wickets in the game.
South Africa (Port Elizabeth, 1949-50)
A determined England spoiled South Africa’s 100th Test with an exciting win, which gave them the five-match series 2-0. Wicketkeeper Walter Wade (125) and opener Bruce Mitchell (99) combined for a fourth-wicket stand of 150 that took the hosts to a formidable 379. England captain George Mann responded with an unbeaten 136, which enabled his side to take a narrow lead of 16.
On the final day, South African captain Dudley Nourse dangled the carrot in front of the visitors with a declaration, setting a target of 172 in 95 minutes. After racing to 58/0, England began losing wickets in their quest for victory and slipped to 153/7. However, Jack Crapp and Alan Watkins stayed till the end, with the former hitting a boundary to seal a memorable win with just one minute left.
West Indies (Kingston, 1964-65)
The West Indies celebrated their 100th Test with a 179-run win in the opening Test of the 1964-65 Frank Worrell Trophy. After being bowled out for 239, the hosts edged a lead of 22, thanks to a haul of 5/60 from Barbadian pace ace Wes Hall, and then went on to take a firm grip on the contest by setting Australia a stiff target of 396. Hall (4/45) was the star again as the visitors could manage no more than 216.
India (Edgbaston, 1967)
This Test is well-known for being the only one in which India’s famed spin quartet played together. England, leading 2-0 in the three-Test rubber, duly completed a whitewash with a convincing 132-run win. A lacklustre India were all out for a mere 92 in reply to England’s 298, and although they fared better with 277 in the second innings, the target of 410 was too high a mountain to climb.
New Zealand (Bridgetown, 1971-72)
Centuries from skipper Bevan Congdon (126) and Brian Hastings (105) took New Zealand to a first-innings lead of 289 after Bob Taylor (7/74) was instrumental in bowling the hosts out for 133 on the first day. The West Indies then fell to 171/5, but Charlie Davis (183) and captain Garfield Sobers (142) staged a remarkable rearguard effort with a sixth-wicket stand of 274 to guide their team to 564/8, eventually drawing the match.
Pakistan (Melbourne, 1978-79)
Pakistan became the third team to win their 100th Test match, after Australia and the West Indies. This was the first Test of a two-match series and saw one of the most sensational bowling performances of all time. The pace duo of Rodney Hogg and Alan Hurst combined to bowl Pakistan out for 196. Australia, bereft of top names due to the Packer exodus, answered with 168, Imran Khan taking 4/26.
Majid Khan’s stylish 108 was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s 353 in the second innings, which meant Australia required 382. The hosts looked on course for victory at 305/3 on the final day, when Sarfraz Nawaz struck. In one of the great spells, the fast bowler took 7/1 in 33 balls to leave the crowd stunned. Australia were bowled out for 310, with four of the last seven wickets being ducks. Nawaz returned outstanding figures of 9/86.
Sri Lanka (Colombo, 2000)
An all-round display from Wasim Akram gave Pakistan victory at the Sinhalese Sports Club. After posting 273, Sri Lanka had Pakistan at 176/9 before Wasim (78) dominated a last-wicket stand of 90. Leading by just seven, the home team were knocked over for 123, with Wasim collecting 5/45. Muttiah Muralitharan kept things interesting by reducing Pakistan to 89/5, but there was no further damage and the visitors won by five wickets.
Zimbabwe (Harare, 2016-17)
Kusal Perera (110) and Upul Tharanga (110*) powered the Lankans to 537, before Zimbabwe collapsed to 139/6. Captain Greame Cremer guided the lower order with a knock of 102* to keep Sri Lanka’s lead to 184. Dimuth Karunaratne scored 110 as well, in the second innings, as his side declared at 247/3 to give their bowlers a full day to bowl Zimbabwe out. The hosts resisted, but went down by 225 runs in the last hour.
Bangladesh (Colombo, 2016-17)
Bangladesh marked their 100th Test with a rare, series-levelling overseas win by four wickets. Dinesh Chandimal’s patient 138 rescued Sri Lanka from 70/4 and took them to 338. Bangladesh however gained a lead of 129, thanks to a fine 116 by Shakib Al Hasan. Dimuth Karunaratne’s 126 kept the hosts in the hunt, but Tamim Iqbal (82) made sure that the Tigers confidently chased down their target of 191 on the final day.
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