At Christchurch, Justin Greaves and Kemar Roach pulled off one of the greatest match-saving performances in the history of Test cricket.
The criterion
The draw adds to the flavour of Test cricket: it allows a team, despite being dominated for most of the match, to walk off with the honours even thanks to a rearguard act towards the end.
Match-saving performances are difficult to define. The list considers only acts that stretched into the last day of drawn Test matches.
The rejects
The two timeless Tests – Kingston 1929/30 and Durban 1939/40 – were designed to produce results. Both produced exceptional fourth-innings shows (even double tons from George Headley and Bill Edrich) on tracks designed to last an eternity: they ended only to prevent England from missing their ships back home.
Pakistan batted 171.4 overs against Australia at Karachi in 2021/22. There were three hundreds and a 90 as India, trailing by 331 in the first innings and 0-2 in the second, salvaged a comfortable draw at Old Trafford in 2025. Both were down to the placid pitches more than anything else.
Hanuma Vihari battled a hamstring injury and R Ashwin severe back pain to save the Sydney Test of 2020/21. While acts of great valour, they just about miss the cut. In Johannesburg 1935/36, the saving act came from fielding captain Herby Wade: Stan McCabe put on a show so astonishing that Wade had to appeal for bad light. Trailing by 296, Sri Lanka became 13-3 at Wellington 2018/19, but that was only as far as New Zealand got. Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews batted through fourth day and for an hour on the fifth – in all, seven and a half hours. However, Sri Lanka had not avoided the innings defeat, and rain prevented further play.
The 15 best Test match-saving acts
15. Willie Watson and Trevor Bailey, Lord’s 1953
A chase of 343 was ruled out when England finished day four on 20-3 and lost Denis Compton on the last morning, but they found two unlikely heroes: Watson, a FIFA World Cupper in his first Ashes Test; and Bailey, who had not gone past 15 in nine innings against Australia. But Watson (109) and Bailey (71) batted for more than four hours against Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Doug Ring, Bill Johnson (all members of Bradman’s Invincibles) and future stars like Alan Davidson and Richie Benaud. Without them, England might not have regained the Ashes after twenty years.
14. Gary Kirsten (and Mark Boucher), Durban 1999/00
One-down in the series, England hit back in the third Test when Andy Caddick (7-46) got them a 210-run lead. More than two days remained – and Kirsten batted through the entirety of it: at 878 minutes, his 275 – impeccable other than getting LBW to a Phil Tufnell no-ball – is still the second-longest Test innings. There was a scare at 244-4, but Boucher stepped up with a five-hour hundred to help Kirsten save the Test. England arrived weary at the fourth Test three days later, having fielded for three days and two innings.
13. Bruce Mitchell, The Oval, 1947
A near-mirror image of Johannesburg 1995/96 (see entry No.4): the same teams and an opener remaining unbeaten in the 180s to save a Test. South Africa were 8-1 when the final day began. They were seven down when 90 minutes remained, but No.9 Lindsay Tuckett hung on. At the other end was Mitchell: he had batted for more than six hours for his first-innings 120, but now exceeded that effort with a seven-hour 189 not out. Amidst “extreme heat” and “scorching sunshine”, he was on the field for all but nine minutes of the Test. Had the post-War England attack not been weak, this would have ranked higher on the list.
12. Gautam Gambhir & co., Napier 2008/09
India’s 1-0 triumph made it their only series win till date in New Zealand since 1975/76: it would not have been possible without the Gambhir marathon. Following on 314 behind, Gambhir lost Virender Sehwag on the third evening, but others held on – Rahul Dravid for four hours and Sachin Tendulkar for two and a half. By the time Gambhir fell, he had kept New Zealand at bay nearly 643 minutes for his 137: VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh then batted out time.
11. Dennis Amiss and the England tail, Kingston 1973/74
Already one-down, England trailed by 230 when they began their second innings early on the fourth day. At stumps, they were 218-5, still in arrears. Night-watch Derek Underwood resisted on the final morning, stretching his vigilance to 84 balls. Alan Knott did not last, but the last three – Chris Old (104 balls), Pat Pocock (88 balls), Bob Willis (unbeaten, 41 balls) – all clung on as Amiss played his magnum opus: the unbeaten 263 stretched across nine and a half hours. The hosts tried everyone barring wicketkeeper Deryck Murray, but to no avail.
10. Shai Hope, Justin Greaves, Kemar Roach, Christchurch 2025/26
In his previous game, Hope had scored his first Test hundred in seven years. Now, from 72-4 in pursuit of 531, he put on 196 with Greaves, an all-rounder with an average of 23, before New Zealand broke through twice. There were still nearly five hours left, but Greaves found an unlikely ally in Roach, a fast bowler without a Test fifty in 85 Tests. With Matt Henry and Nathan Smith both injured (the reason this does not rank higher), Greaves and Roach wore down the depleted New Zealand attack in a marathon that never seemed to end.
9. Jonty Rhodes & co. (special mention: Clive Eksteen), Moratuwa 1993
Sri Lanka set 365 in the first ever Test between the two nations. Muttiah Muralidaran was still new, but he was one of four spinners on a turner. South Africa, not used to these conditions, were five down with three hours remaining. Rhodes, known to the world largely for his fielding, now had two debutant spinners for support before the tail began. Pat Symcox played his part by keeping out 73 balls, but the surprise package was Eksteen’s 89-ball vigil (including a scoreless phase of 66 balls where he dead-batted virtually everything). Rhodes did not make another Test hundred in five years and Eksteen finished with a first-class average under 15, but this was their day.
8. Mark Greatbatch, Perth 1989/90
Two years before he earned a reputation as an ODI biffer, Greatbatch pulled off a titanic effort against an Australian side that had won the Ashes in England 4-0. He had top-scored with 72 in the first innings, but New Zealand lost eight for 48 once he had fallen, and followed on 290 runs behind. Greatbatch walked out again at 11-1 to face four fast bowlers at the WACA amidst incessant sledging. “Watch the ball,” he told himself before every ball – in other words, 485 times across 11 hours. In between, he forgot his trousers when he arrived on the final day, and borrowed John Bracewell’s – too tight for a man of Greatbatch’s frame. The Australians peppered him with vicious bouncers, but he did not flinch (neither did Martin Snedden, for 202 minutes). The Test was saved.
7. Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal, Mohali 2004/05
Everything had gone according to plan for India for four days. They led by 204 in the first innings, and had Pakistan at 257-6 just before stumps – but everything changed on the last day. As young Akmal (109) kept finding the boundary, the veteran Razzaq (71) thwarted the attack before Mohammad Sami and Naved-ul-Hasan virtually killed the match. An anxious captain Inzamam-ul-Haq chose to not watch most of the day’s cricket. Anil Kumble, the lone spinner, bowled his heart out, but there was little support from the fast bowlers at the other end.
6. Brendon McCullum & co., Wellington 2013/14
After leading by 246, India had New Zealand at 94-5 before McCullum pulled off one of the great marathon acts of the modern era. Well over two days remained, but McCullum found an ally in BJ Watling (124): the pair batted for eight and a half overs to put on 359. Still not done, McCullum went on to become his nation’s first triple-centurion. Debutant Jimmy Neesham then blasted a rapid hundred to take the Test out of India’s grasp. After taking 15 wickets in 87 overs, India managed only another three in the next 167.2.
5. Faf du Plessis & co., Adelaide 2012/13
This was the famous Test that made the word “blockathon” mainstream, after South Africa’s efficient shutting of the shutters from 45-4 in the fourth innings. With well over a day to bat out, AB de Villiers shrugged off his usual self to defend for more than four hours. An injured Jacques Kallis then resisted for two and a half hours, but it then came down to the tail and the debutant Faf du Plessis, whose defence the Australians could not breach. There was still well over an hour left, but du Plessis was completely unperturbed by the Australian attack.
4. Mike Atherton and Jack Russell, Johannesburg 1995/96
England needed to bat for an eternity against a four-pronged South African attack. The scheduled showers never materialised. Robin Smith batted for two hours, but Atherton never really found solid support until Russell emerged with more than four and a half hours left. But South Africa could never break the stand. Allan Donald bowled his heart out, as did a young Shaun Pollock, but both batters stayed put. By the time Cronje claimed the third new ball, Donald was too tired to have an impact: Atherton’s 185 not out, stretched across 643 minutes, had driven him to that.
3. Sunil Gavaskar, Port of Spain 1970/71
The home pace attack was hardly terrifying: this innings ranks high because of how unexpected it was: no Indian had even 4,000 Test runs. This was an era when, barring a tour of New Zealand (the weakest side), India had lost 17 away Tests on the trot. Yet, they took a 1-0 lead here and held on to it as the teams arrived at the six-day decider.
Gavaskar, the discovery of the tour – his aggregate of 774 series runs is still a record for a debutant – stayed up the night before the Test in excruciating toothache as manager Keki Tarapore denied him painkillers (“they’ll only make you drowsy”). So he made a 392-minute 124, fielded for 216.3 overs, returned on the fourth day (India needed 166 to avoid the innings defeat), and stonewalled for another 529 minutes to ensure India won the series.
2. Peter May and Colin Cowdrey, Edgbaston 1957
This one ranks high as well, largely because May and Cowdrey shaped – for good or otherwise – how batters defended spin over the years to come. Sonny Ramadhin, England’s nemesis from seven years ago, took 7-49 to rout England for 186 in the first innings. The tourists responded with 474. Ramadhin struck twice more, and England became 65-2 and on the fourth morning, 113-3.
May and Cowdrey used the pad as a second line of defence. When Ramadhin bowled outside the off-stump, they allowed the ball to hit the pad. When he bowled straight, they used their feet – the pitch was playing well – to reach the pitch of the ball. They batted together for exactly 500 minutes to put on 411: May made 285 not out and Cowdrey 154. Ramadhin did not get another wicket, but it was not for lack of trying: the 98 overs remain a world record to this day. May probably declared too late, as the West Indies finished on 72-7.
1. Hanif Mohammad, Bridgetown 1957/58
The GOAT of all blockathons, Hanif’s masterpiece began on the third morning of a six-day Test, after Pakistan followed on 473 behind the West Indies. Hanif did not get out until the sixth morning – a 970-minute (999, according to some) innings that is unlikely to be emulated. He put on century stands for the first, second, third, and fourth wickets, pushing Pakistan into the lead, but still refused to get out.
Captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar, fully aware that only one man could have done it for Pakistan, he slipped a note underneath Hanif’s door on each of the three nights: “You are the only hope to save Pakistan,” “You can save it, just stay there,” and finally, “You’ve got to stay till tea time, then we will save the game.” Hanif did stay until tea – he was 334 then – but could add only four more.
There is a story (apocryphal but delightful) that merits a recall. Of many West Indian youths perched atop the trees surrounding the ground, one fell on the ground during Hanif’s innings. Upon regaining consciousness, he asked, “is Hanif still batting?” When they nodded, he passed out again.
