Stats: Dean Elgar falls for 199; joins unique Test club
Whenever a batsman gets dismissed or stranded on the verge of a Test century, the disappointment is palpable. Imagine the agony when the landmark under question is a double ton. Falling just short of 200 (with the exceptions being Sir Don Bradman's 299 not out and Martin Crowe's 299) could be the most frustrating event for any batsman trying to establishing himself in the game's premier format. South Africa's Dean Elgar became the latest batsman to experience the anti-climactic feeling when he was dismissed for 199 during the first innings of the opening Test match against Bangladesh at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom.
The opener joined the unlucky 199-run club after he mistimed a pull shot during the second day of the season-beginning Test match. When he was just one run short of what could have been his maiden double ton at the international level, Elgar succumbed to a short delivery unfurled by Mustafizur Rahman and sent the eager crowd into a state of utter disbelief.
Elgar became only the 12th batsman in Test history to be either dismissed or stranded on 199. He joined a distinguished club comprising Mudassar Nazar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Matthew Elliot, Sanath Jayasuriya, Steve Waugh, Andy Flower, Younis Khan, Ian Bell, Kumar Sangakkara, Steven Smith and KL Rahul. Among these batting stalwarts, only Flower and Sangakkara had to endure the agony of remaining not out on 199.
Interestingly, Elgar had been involved in a catastrophic run-out during the first day and debutant Aiden Markram found himself walking back to the dressing room for 97. The disappointment was writ on the left-hander's face when his 22-year-old batting partner missed out on a century on Test debut by just three runs.
As soon as Elgar was bounced out by Mustafizur, the camera panned to the South African dressing room and Markram made no attempt at hiding his dismay. Even though the two openers fell short of their respective milestones, they had done enough to put the Proteas in a commanding position on a batting-friendly surface. With Hashim Amla joining in on the fun by smashing a 200-ball 137, the hosts amassed a whopping 496 runs for the loss of just three wickets before they declared their innings and put the Bangladeshi bowlers out of their misery.
Pakistan's Mudassar Nazar inaugurated the 199-run club by becoming the first batsman to fall one run short of the 200-mark, during the 1984 Faisalabad Test against arch-rivals India. Azharuddin expanded the club by recording the unlucky feat in the 1986 Kanpur Test against Sri Lanka. With 22 tons, the Hyderabadi stylist continues to hold the record for the most Test centuries without a double hundred.
Before Elgar suffered from lack of serendipity, Indian opener KL Rahul had been the most recent entrant in the 199-run club. The elegant right-hander was dismissed one run short of a maiden double ton during the 2016 Chennai Test against England. But teammate and close friend Karun Nair made up for the anti-climax by scoring a memorable triple century in the same innings.
Here are the ten batsmen who feature in the unlucky 199-run club.
(*Note: Both Andy Flower and Kumar Sangakkara remained not out during their respective innings)