Cricket

Highest 4th Innings Successful Run Chase At Lords In Test Cricket

Dixit Bhargav
|PublishedJul 01, 2023

Highest 4th Innings Successful Run Chase At Lords In Test Cricket

Joe Root celebrates a match-winning ton.

England will have to pull off a record highest 4th innings successful run chase at Lord’s, 10th highest successful chase in the history of Test cricket and third-highest in England if they are to win the ongoing second Ashes 2023 Test match against Australia. Facing a brunt of lacking behind by 91 runs in the first innings, the home team is in pursuit of a 371-run target in the fourth innings.

The target could’ve easily been in excess of the 400-run mark had England not executed their short-ball plan to perfection. With Australia losing their last eight wickets for 92 runs in around 40 overs, English bowlers successfully put curbs around the visiting batters on the back of their relentless attempt of bowling short.

That said, it is now the turn of the English batters to play according to their potential. In fact, play even better than their potential. Readers must note that a target of more than 300 runs has been chased down only once in this venue’s rich 139-year Test cricket legacy.

With England needing to do better that what has been done across 144 Tests here, they face a monumental challenge especially after losing two top-order batters for single-digit scores.

With England successfully sealing Test run-chases 22 out of the 39 such instances at this ground, they would want to bank on their past record even though the asking is a bit too much in this match.

Speaking of the highest successful Test run-chases at Lord’s, former England captain Joe Root had scored a match-winning century in the third-highest run-chase here last year. Furthermore, wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow was at the crease in his debut Test in the fifth-highest chase mentioned below. While Bairstow hadn’t scored a run back then, England were only chasing a 191-run target against West Indies 11 years ago.