Classics: Running on hope

Suresh Raina-VVS Laxman Border-Gavaskar cup,Mohali 2010

If ever a runner added to the drama of a chase,then look no further than Mohali 2010. Chasing 216 to win,VVS Laxman (who had batted last but one in the first innings due to back spasms) strolls out to bat,with Suresh Raina in tow,at 76/5. With every superlative synonym describing fluidity in his repertoire,Laxman begins deconstructing the Aussies,bowler by bowler,one at a time. But at 124/8,the match looks dead and buried,before Laxman decides to make Ishant Sharma his partner for the day. Laxman flicks,Raina steals the quick singles,Sharma hangs on for a scintillating 81-run ninth wicket stand. After several mix-ups during his stay,Sharma falls for 31,with India still needing another 11 runs to win. With seven to go,Ojha and Raina receive a earful from Laxman,forcing the runners to take a double. But as Ojha refuses a single after Raina begins darting down the wicket off the next ball,an unprecedented feat unfolds,Laxman froths at his mouth,even unleashing a volley of abuses towards his Hyderabadi counterpart. The dressing room explodes with laughter. Weve never heard Laxman abusing before,so it cut the tension for a while, says Virender Sehwag. As Raina runs two leg byes with Ojha,three comrades walk back arm in arm,into the glorious sunset of victory.

Marlon Samuels-Shivnarine Chanderpaul & Wavell Hinds-Ridley Jacobs Frank Worrell cup,Guyana 2003

No one,not even Tony Cozier,the great voice of West Indies cricket for over three decades,had witnessed what he was going to in Guyana four West Indians padded up and helmetted in the middle of the pitch,simultaneously. It was quite a sight at Bourda,and a crowded one to say the least,with the maximum possible limit of 17 humans on the cricket field. Never had this happened in the history of Test cricket,and never has this unfolded again. The history makers were Ridley Jacobs and Shivnarine Chanderpaul,both of whom had been injured in the first innings. While Chanderpaul was the first to take a runner- Marlon Samuels in the second innings- the batsmen were soon joined by Wavell Hinds,who came to the aid of Jacobs. While their partnership lasted just 25 balls and seven runs,only three runs were scored with the two runners dashing across each other. The feat received a standing ovation,and went down in the almanacks as a moment that few would forget in the years to come.

Matt Prior-Jonathan Trott 6th ODI,Sydney 2011

This is about the time when the fun of having a runner around reached its clinical punctuation. Jonathan Trott needs the help of a runner enroute to his career high score of 137 against Australia in Sydney in 2011. Trott hobbles as he approaches his hundred on a scorching day then shortly after passing the milestone calls for assistance. Matt Prior runs hard for his fellow South African born mate,until Trott falls in the final over of the innings. Australia win by a whisker,but skipper Michael Clarke is not impressed. The fact that the decision is not in his hands only accentuates the anger. A recent amendment in the rules states that granting a runner is purely at the discretion of the on-field officials. I dont agree, says Clarke. It shouldnt be the case that you are allowed a runner if you have cramp. The thought is pretty similar to the opposition skipper Andrew Strauss,who once denied Graeme Smith aid when the decision was still with the fielding captain. Smith was then cramping badly during a Champions Trophy game in Centurion,but Strauss remained stubborn,causing a massive uproar within the authoritative corridors of the gentlemans game. You shouldnt get a runner for cramps. Full stop, Strauss said.

Sachin Tendulkar-himself World Cup,Centurion 2003

The India-Pakistan match at Centurion on March 30,2003 will be remembered for many reasons. Sachin Tendulkar’s fantastic sixes,India’s glorious unbeaten record over arch rivals Pakistan in the quadrennial event,and Saeed Anwar’s century. But what has also been entrenched in the fan’s mind is Tendulkar,cramping badly en route his match winning knock of 98,saying no to the twelfth man when offered the services of a runner. “Nobody can run better for you,” he would say later. Tendulkar is one of the few players who believes that a runner only takes away from the glory that awaits at the other end of the pain. Tendulkar is also from that school of thought which says that no one but the batsman is better suited to judge a run,or two. Unfortunately though,the cramps got to Tendulkar in Centurion,stranding him short of yet another century by two runs. But the drama,and the determination,of it all ensured that his 98 will be remembered as an all-time classic.

Mark Greatbatch-Martin Crowe World Cup,auckland 1992

According to the Wisden Almanack report,’Martin Crowe’s day had begun happily enough.’ Even before a ball of the first semi-final against Pakistan was bowled,the New Zealand skipper was named the Man of the Series for his prolific run-making in the fifth edition of the World Cup,and his astute captaincy. The cricket also wasn’t too bad,with Crowe stroking the ball with guile. But nothing can feel worse than getting run-out nine short of a hundred,especially since he wasn’t doing the running. Mark Greatbatch was. Having lost his hamstring during a rescue act with Ken Rutherford,Crowe was helped by veteran Greatbatch right through the innings. That’s before his supposed aide ran him out. The day only got worse from there on as Crowe couldn’t take the field. And under John Wright’s captaincy,NZ were knocked out of their home World Cup,causing much heartbreak around the cricketing world.