Game changing moments....

Morning all

Test cricket is generally a battle of attrition, with 5 whole days to bowl your opponents out twice and rack up a sufficient number of runs for yourselves. On many an occasion, the outcome of a Test seems pretty much nailed on after the first 3 of these days.

However, that got me thinking...which Tests have seen a genuinely game changing moment, which has completely turned the match around from one sides favour to the other.

A recent example would be Stuart Broad's hat-trick against India when they looked set to gain a huge first innings lead, so my question is - what Tests can you recall where one game changing moment has occured and completely turned the match on its head?

VVS 281
Beefy 149

Gibbs's drop of Steve Waugh in the 99 WC
Pietersen's 158 at the Oval in 05
Broad's spell at the Oval in 09
Warne's spell in the 99 WC semi

broad's spell at the oval in the 2009 ashes..


Monty and Jimmy cardiff batting rearguard( not so much game changing, well i suppose it can be, but the determination from these 2 to hang around, and save the game for us)

Warne dropping KP at the Oval '05

Ramprakash catch at Melbourne 98/99

Kamran Akmal decideing to earn an extra fiver..

Suppose it depends what you mean by a "moment".

In 1981 the Botham innings changed the game over several hours - but Australia remained favourites, until a Willis over which removed both Hughes and Yallop : which was the "moment" ? If a moment is literally a very short time , perhaps it was the over just after tea in which the (sadly now deceased) Dilley hit a couple of fours to signal he was going down swinging - Botham took it from there ...

In 1961 at Old Trafford a last wicket stand between Davidson and Mackenzie gave Australia a chance - and many would say it was May's taking the new ball after a couple of sixes off Allen that allowed the stand to develop - so was that the moment? Or was it Benaud's burst of 4 wickets that collapsed England from 150/1 chasing 256 ...

Harmissons first ball in 2007

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Harmissons first ball in 2007

But in fairness to Harmison perhaps we should also consider : Clarke bowled Harmison (during extra half hour) Edgbaston 2005 ... and later
Kasprowiz c Jones b Harmison - the next morning .

Botham's 5 for 1 spell at Edgbaston '81.
Freddie's run-out of Ponting at the Oval in '09
The final catch at Edgbaston '05

Some good ones fellas, by moment I did mean in a very short space of time - something very small that had a massive impact.

However these counter attacking innings also deserve a mention, given the context in which they were scored.

king curtly took 7 wickets for 1 run against australia back in the day

What about Gary Pratt's run out of Ponting in 05? Or Freddie's run outs in 09?

Not sure either of those two were what I'd call "game-changing" carrot, as IMO England were on top in both games. In the first instance they'd made Aus follow on, and Aus were still trailing by a few with two wickets down, while in the second Aus were chasing a mammoth score to win. But yeah, certainly two important moments in those matches...

mcgrath stepping on a ball in warmups at edgbaston in 2005 ?

Rich, that's a very unorthodox but very good shout.

i know it didn't happen during the game so strictly speaking might not count but when you consider that ponting won the toss, decided to field and then without mcgrath saw england put on 400 runs on day one

Yeah exactly mate it is a very significant moment not only in that match but in the entire series.

Great, wasn't it?

Not only a game, but a series and cricket history changing moment. Bradman being given not out when caught at slip (according to the English) on 28 at Brisbane in 1946/7.
He went on to score 187, winning the game for Australia in the process, didn't retire (as he may have if he'd been given out), and went on to lead the 'invincibles' in 1948

rich1uk wrote:mcgrath stepping on a ball in warmups at edgbaston in 2005 ?

good one. Defo gave england the psychogoial edge going into that second test, and it showed by us racking up 400 on the first day

Fists and all - it wasn't a Test match but I'll invite you to share one of my cricketing memories and a true game changing moment.

In the 1971 Gillette Cup Final, Kent were heading to victory against Lancs. They needed 28 more to win the trophy with 4 wickets and plenty of overs in hand. Furthermore, Pakistan batsman Asif Iqbal was at the crease in superb form on 89 and looking certain to complete a century as he guided Kent over the line.

Asif then clouted the Lancs off spinner 'Flat Jack' Simmons for what appeared to all - including Simmons - to be another certain boundary. However, the Lancs captain thirty-nine year old Jackie Bond (who always looked at least ten years older) leapt through the air at mid off and held a stunning one handed catch to dismiss Asif and totally turn the game. Panic then set in for Kent and their remaining three wickets fell for three runs as Lancs won by 24 runs.

Have a gander at this - the camera work is nowhere near as sharp and as extensive as you would expect today but still gives a feel of the event. A different world for most of you, yesterday for me ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMfJHQ_bfWk

Brilliant brilliant catch, and a good runout from Lloyd too, thanks for sharing guildford.

Cheers, Fists. A pleasure to share that.

In his prime before knee trouble, Clive Lloyd was an excellent cover fielder. Prowling the covers he was nicknamed Big Cat and Panther.

I know it's been mentioned but Gibbs dropping S Waugh in the 1999 World Cup was a massive game changer and