New Delhi. The journey from zero to century is not easy in any format of cricket. It has often been seen that many players keep on reaching the magical figure of 100. Although there is a distance of only 10 runs between 90 and 100, but many batsmen could not cover this distance over the years and their names were written on those pages of history where there is no word named hundred.
It is every batsman’s dream to score a century in the longest and traditional format of cricket, Test cricket. From the Honors Board of Lord’s to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, centuries have a different history but the beauty of this game lies not only in the centuries but also in those fighting innings which manage the team in times of crisis. There have been some players in Test history who scored thousands of runs with their consistency and commitment to the team, but luck never allowed them to score a century. Let us know about 5 such legendary players who have made this unique record of scoring the most Test runs without scoring a century.
- Shane Warne (Australia) – 3,154 runs
Shane Warne, the greatest leg spinner in cricket history, knew how to do wonders not only with the ball but also with the bat. He came down the order and played many match-winning innings for Australia. Warne scored 3,154 runs with the help of 12 half-centuries in his 145-match Test career. The closest he came to a century was against New Zealand in 2001, when he was caught out by Daniel Vettori on a personal score of 99 runs. Even though he missed his century by 1 run, his record of most runs without a century is still unbroken.
2. Niroshan Dickwella (Sri Lanka) – 2,757 runs
Sri Lanka’s aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella comes second in this list. In his Test career, Dickwella adopted a fast-scoring style by appearing in the middle and lower-middle order. He has scored 2,757 runs in 54 Test matches, which includes 22 half-centuries. His highest score in the Test format has been 96 runs. He has centuries to his name in limited overs (ODIs), but in Tests he always missed reaching triple digits.
3. Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 2,478 runs
Mitchell Starc, one of the most dangerous fast bowlers of the modern era, is known for his very useful batting in the lower order. On the basis of his ability to play long shots, Starc has made many important partnerships for Australia. He has added 2,478 runs in 105 test matches so far. Like Shane Warne, Starc also became a victim of nervous nineties by getting out for 99 runs in the Mohali Test (2013) against India and was just one step away from a century.
4. Tim Southee (New Zealand) – 2,245 runs
Former New Zealand captain and excellent fast bowler Tim Southee has been famous for his aggressive batting and hitting long sixes in Test cricket. He did a great job of sending the balls coming across the boundary line for New Zealand. Saudi scored 2,245 runs in his Test career, in which his highest score was 77 not out. He never came very close to a century, but his short and quick innings in the lower order always proved to be the X-factor for the Kiwi team.
5. Chetan Chauhan (India) – 2,084 runs
In this list, the name of former Indian opener Chetan Chauhan is most special. While the other four players are primarily bowlers or wicketkeepers, Chauhan was purely a specialist opener. Along with Sunil Gavaskar, he made many historic opening partnerships for India. Chetan Chauhan scored 2,084 runs in 68 innings of 40 Test matches at a solid average of 31.57. Chauhan, who scored 16 half-centuries in his career, had the best score of 97 runs. He became the first batsman in the world to cross the mark of 2,000 runs without scoring a century in Test history.
This record of cricket shows that only the shine of centuries is not important in the game. These five players, even without achieving any individual century, contributed to the victory of their teams, which many a times even great century winners are not able to do. Their fighting spirit will always be remembered with respect in the pages of history.
