Test cricket - a wicket less day

Blackheathen

Can anyone remember a full day of Test cricket when there were no wickets. It happened in Wellington yesterday in the NZ v Sri Lanka Test.

The Black Caps posted 578 in their first innings with Latham scoring an unbeaten 264.

Sri Lanka in reply were 3 for 9 at one stage but recovered to be all out 282, following on 296 behind.

Once again they got off to a disastrous start and were 3-13 at one stage, closing the day at 20 for 3.

Yesterday though Kusal Mendis (116 off 287 balls) and Angelo Mathews (117 off 293) batted all day without offering even one clear cut chance. The going was slow - 2.53 run rate - but the pair played some beautiful shots, especially straight drives.

Sri Lanka still need 37 to make NZ bat again but Mendis and Mathews might have saved the day with rain forecast for today in Wellington and a draw the likely result.

Riviera

England v Australia 1989 maybe Old Trafford or Trent Bridge, Marsh and Taylor 300 odd for 0 on the first day.
Also I think I was at Lords for a very boring day v S Africa in the 2000's without a wicket.

Chizz

It's happened 23 times, but the last time (Bangladesh's opening day chasing of South African leather for 405 runs) was ten years ago.

Ormiston_Addick

Riviera said:

England v Australia 1989 maybe Old Trafford or Trent Bridge, Marsh and Taylor 300 odd for 0 on the first day.
Also I think I was at Lords for a very boring day v S Africa in the 2000's without a wicket.

Yup - that was the famous Test when David Gower opened a bottle of champagne at lunch on the second day with the Aussies at 400-1.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" asked irascible Aussie captain Alan Border.

"We're celebrating our first wicket Alan," replied Gower, "Would you like a glass?"

Aussies scored 329-0 on Day 1 and went on to score 602-6.

Leuth

Ormiston Addick said:

Riviera said:

England v Australia 1989 maybe Old Trafford or Trent Bridge, Marsh and Taylor 300 odd for 0 on the first day.
Also I think I was at Lords for a very boring day v S Africa in the 2000's without a wicket.

Yup - that was the famous Test when David Gower opened a bottle of champagne at lunch on the second day with the Aussies at 400-1.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" asked irascible Aussie captain Alan Border.

"We're celebrating our first wicket Alan," replied Gower, "Would you like a glass?"

Aussies scored 329-0 on Day 1 and went on to score 602-6.

Ah man, Gower would have been my favourite player of all time if I'd been watching cricket while he was around. Like having David Niven captaining the Test side

Ormiston_Addick

Leuth said:

Ormiston Addick said:

Riviera said:

England v Australia 1989 maybe Old Trafford or Trent Bridge, Marsh and Taylor 300 odd for 0 on the first day.
Also I think I was at Lords for a very boring day v S Africa in the 2000's without a wicket.

Yup - that was the famous Test when David Gower opened a bottle of champagne at lunch on the second day with the Aussies at 400-1.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" asked irascible Aussie captain Alan Border.

"We're celebrating our first wicket Alan," replied Gower, "Would you like a glass?"

Aussies scored 329-0 on Day 1 and went on to score 602-6.

Ah man, Gower would have been my favourite player of all time if I'd been watching cricket while he was around. Like having David Niven captaining the Test side

A dream of a batsman.

As the great Guardian cricket writer Matthew Engel once wrote of him: "“Gower always seemed to play the same – beautifully, until the moment he made a mistake. Sometimes, the mistake was put off long enough for him to play an innings of unforgettable brilliance. A left-hander with a strong top hand, Gower's strokes had a liquid, graceful feel: in an era of biffers, he was a caresser.”

Leroy Ambrose

Absolutely beautiful to watch Gower in full flow. Fluent like maybe no other English batsman. I grew up watching him bat. Sadly always a wicket candidate, and you always got the feeling he never took the game seriously.

Riviera

Gower my favourite. I remember well being at the 1980 Centenary Test at Lords, Gower had been dropped earlier in the summer against the Windies but was back for this to give him a chance to cement a place on the (ill-fated) winter tour to the Caribbean. He only scored 40 odd in both innings but looked a million dollars. Distinctly remember him clipping Lillee effortlessly through mid-wicket on numerous occasions.

Riviera

Ormiston Addick said:

Riviera said:

England v Australia 1989 maybe Old Trafford or Trent Bridge, Marsh and Taylor 300 odd for 0 on the first day.
Also I think I was at Lords for a very boring day v S Africa in the 2000's without a wicket.

Yup - that was the famous Test when David Gower opened a bottle of champagne at lunch on the second day with the Aussies at 400-1.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" asked irascible Aussie captain Alan Border.

"We're celebrating our first wicket Alan," replied Gower, "Would you like a glass?"

Aussies scored 329-0 on Day 1 and went on to score 602-6.

301-0 close of play score on day one. 329 was the total of their 1st wicket stand.

Someone had to point it out!

In our reply Gower was 4th out with our score on 37. Atherton made his debut in this Test.

Ormiston_Addick

Riviera said:

Gower my favourite. I remember well being at the 1980 Centenary Test at Lords, Gower had been dropped earlier in the summer against the Windies but was back for this to give him a chance to cement a place on the (ill-fated) winter tour to the Caribbean. He only scored 40 odd in both innings but looked a million dollars. Distinctly remember him clipping Lillee effortlessly through mid-wicket on numerous occasions.

For me it was Gower's back foot driving that was so special, he'd just lean back and caress it through the covers without a care in the world.

Unfortunately he also edged a few behind now and again too.....

SoundAsa£

His Lordship at one end and Beefy at the other......happy happy days.

Blackheathen

Thanks for putting me right on whether there had been other wicket less days. More common than I thought.

Loved the story of David Gower's champagne. Who wouldn't enjoy his elegant stroke play. Reminded me of the effortless Colin Cowdrey. A shot I will never forget however was a beautiful square cut to the boundary by Geoffrey Boycott at the Basin Reserve (and he wasn't exactly known for his stroke play).