5 great players who scored a duck in their 100th Test
It wasn't the best of outings for Steve Smith in his 100th Test as he was caught behind off Stuart Broad's bowling in the first innings of the third Ashes Test at Headingley on Thursday.
The ace batter from Australia walked to the crease at the fall of Usman Khawaja's wicket as Mark Wood flattened the former's leg stump. England, who opted to field first after winning the toss, were breathing fire with a boisterous crowd backing them to the hilt.
Smith looked confident and even pulled a Chris Woakes delivery over the square leg fence for six. He soon nicked behind though as the ball took the inside edge of his bat en route to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Although Smith referred it upstairs as he felt he hadn't got bat on it, the replays vindicated the on-field call.
Steve Smith will be playing his 100th Test today 🏏
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Smith will have another opportunity to make his 100th Test appearance memorable in the second innings. He might not have scored a duck in the first essay but a knock of 22 wouldn't please him one bit either.
There are a few famous batters who happened to have scored a duck in their 100th Test though. Here's a read into five of them:
#1 Allan Border - Australia
Former Australian captain Allan Border marked his 100th appearance in Tests against the West Indies at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 1988. However, it wasn't a game to remember on a personal front or for the hosts as they were trounced by 285 runs.
West Indies scored 280 batting first before Curtly Ambrose and Patrick Patterson combined for eight wickets as the visitors secured a 38-run lead. Ambrose castled Border for a five-ball duck.
Australia were set a round target of 400 after West Indies declared on 361/9 but the hosts were rolled over for a paltry 114. Patterson claimed a five-for as Australia received a humbling with Border being the joint top-scorer with a 111-ball 20.
#2 Sir Alastair Cook - England
Ryan Harris turns 40 today so we simply had to roll this one out again. Have a good one, Ryno! https://t.co/uyDA1pyQvK
Sir Alastair Cook played his 100th Test at the WACA Ground in Perth when England toured Australia for the Ashes. The visitors entered the third Test with a 2-0 deficit against their name.
After Australia posted 385, England could muster only 251 even as skipper Cook top-scored with a defiant 72. He was in for a rude shock in the fourth innings though once England were set a target of 504.
The first ball of the chase saw Ryan Harris send down a brute of an away-decker that opened the England captain up and clipped the top of the off stump.
There was genuinely nothing much Cook could have done about that delivery and it summed up what was to follow with the Aussies wrapping up the series and eventually sealing a 5-0 whitewash.
#3 Brendon McCullum - New Zealand
GOT HIM! Another massive wicket with McCullum caught for a duck in his 100th Test. NZ fall to 4-47. Hazlewood does it again #NZvAUS
Brendon McCullum played his 100th and penultimate Test against Australia at the Basin Reserve in Wellington in 2016. Much like Border and Cook though, it was a game to forget for him as well as New Zealand.
The Blackcaps folded for a paltry 183 in the first innings as Josh Hazlewood had McCullum caught for a seven-ball duck. The Aussies then piled on the misery with Adam Voges scoring 239 and Usman Khawaja striking 140 to power them to a mammoth 562-run total.
New Zealand batted much better the second time of asking but couldn't avoid defeat by an innings and 52 innings.
In the next Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, McCullum smashed the fastest hundred in the history of the format (54 balls), but an Australian win was inevitable once again.
#4 Stephen Fleming - New Zealand
Another famous New Zealand captain had to bear with the dubious record of scoring a duck in his 100th Test.
Stephen Fleming joined South Africa's Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock in his 100th appearance in the format as New Zealand faced the Proteas at Supersport Park in Centurion in 2006.
South Africa were bundled out for 276 before Nathan Astle's 133 saw the Blackcaps pocket a 51-run lead. Fleming, however, couldn't leave his mark as he was caught and bowled by Makhaya Ntini for a duck.
New Zealand were eventually set a 249-run target but Ntini and Dale Steyn wreaked havoc and combined for all 10 wickets to send the visitors tumbling for a mere 120, sealing a brilliant comeback victory for South Africa.
#5 Cheteshwar Pujara - India
Cheteshwar Pujara received his 100th Test cap from Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar 🐐🐐
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Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara played his landmark 100th Test earlier this year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi saw India enter the 4-match series with a 1-0 lead under their belt.
It was a rather enterprising contest with Australia batting positively on the opening day even as they were bowled out for 263. They were on top of the game the following day before Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin rescued India from 139/7 and took the hosts within one run of Australia's first-innings total.
This was after Nathan Lyon trapped Pujara in front for a duck in his 100th Test appearance. But as fortune would have it, Pujara scored the winning runs with India having to chase just 115 after a shocking batting display saw the Aussies crumble for 113 in their second innings.
Will Steve Smith make it count in the second innings of his 100th Test? Have your say in the comments section below!
Also read: 3 reasons why England batting Harry Brook at No. 3 for the rest of the Ashes series is the wrong move