Top 3 counter attacking innings in Tests in 2022
A drawn first Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi on December 30 capped off what was a transformative year for Test cricket.
The combination of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took world cricket by storm with their 'Bazball' approach in Test matches.
With their new-wave cricket, the old forces in England trounced New Zealand at home before winning the rescheduled fifth Test against India in July 2022. The current T20 and ODI champions then visited Pakistan after 17 years to whitewash them 3-0 in a Test series.
Due to England's Bazball approach, the longest format saw numerous fightbacks, ranging from complete aggression and dominance to a dour and solid grafting approach.
On that note, let's rewind the clock and take a look at the top three counter-attacking innings in Tests in 2022.
#3 Jonny Bairstow - 136 off 92 vs New Zealand in the 2nd Test in Nottingham
One of the most memorable instances of England's bold counter-attacking approach was seen when Jonny Bairstow took the Three Lions to one of their most remarkable victories in Test cricket.
The packed house at Trent Bridge in Nottingham was treated to a jaw-dropping display on the final day of the second Test between England and New Zealand.
Set a target of 299 with just 72 overs left on Day 5, England endured a rocky start, losing Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root inside 54 runs. Opener Alex Lees had a good start but fell on 44 as the hosts were left reeling at 93/4 after 26 overs.
136 off 92 balls. Bairstow played the innings of his life today. One of the best knocks I've seen. https://t.co/x6VusWkUxd
In came the duo of Jonny Bairstow and skipper Ben Stokes, who not only took the game to New Zealand but bailed England out of a likely defeat.
With England having lost early wickets, Bairstow began in a comparatively cautious fashion. Still, he managed to ease his way to 43 off 48 at the end of the second session. In the last session of play, he went completely berserk.
The right-hander raced to his fifty by pulling Matt Henry for consecutive fours before a six over long-off followed, off Trent Boult.
There was no stopping Bairstow after that, even as Stokes pitched in with some impressive boundaries himself. The Yorkshire star clobbered four sixes and three fours in the space of three overs to jump into the 90s. He got to a 77-ball hundred by punching Tim Southee through point for three and roared in delight.
The England dasher continued to attack even after crossing three figures. He clubbed Michael Bracewell for 6,6,4 in the 43rd over, batting in total T20 mode. At the other end, Stokes also brought up his fifty in 55 balls.
The belligerent Stokes-Bairstow stand ended when the latter nicked Boult to the keeper after scoring an outstanding 92-ball 136 at a strike rate of 147.8. The formalities were completed by Stokes, who remained unbeaten at 75 off 70 balls. England chased down 299 in exactly 50 overs, at a run rate of 5.98.
#2 Jonny Bairstow - 162 off 157 vs New Zealand in the 3rd Test in Leeds
Jonny Bairstow continued his merry run with the bat in the next Test match against New Zealand. The Yorkshireman scored his second ton of the series when his team were in dire straits.
He counter-attacked the Kiwi bowlers and put on an excellent show in Leeds. After New Zealand scored 329 in their first innings, England found themselves reeling at 55-6 in 12 overs.
Bairstow had an arduous task ahead of him, batting alongside a debutant all-rounder Jamie Overton. The Kiwi pacers were all over the English batters, but the duo of Bairstow and Overton batted through the storm with ease with the former delivering a sucker punch.
End of one of the best knock this year in Tests, 162 runs from just 157 balls when England was 55 for 6. Take a bow, Bairstow. https://t.co/JTapkmwRcM
Right from the start, Bairstow kept finding boundaries while Overton played second fiddle. While he didn't hit a single six in his innings, Bairstow scored 24 boundaries and stitched together an incredible partnership of 241 runs with Overton for the seventh wicket.
Bairstow's masterful innings of 162 off 157 balls came to an end when he miscued a drive and handed a catch to Trent Boult at long-off. There was a huge round of applause for the local lad as he walked back.
Thanks to Bairstow, England took a 31-run lead at the end of the first innings, having found themselves in a precarious position early on.
#1 Rishabh Pant - 142 off 111 vs England in the rescheduled 5th Test in Birmingham
Indisputably, India's best Test batter in the last couple of years, Rishabh Pant has already put himself on the list of one of India's all-time red-ball greats.
The wicket-keeper batter, with his aggressive mindset, has rescued India from dangerous situations many a time. One of those instances came during India's highly-anticipated rescheduled fifth Test match against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham in July 2022.
After Ben Stokes asked India to bat first, Pant entered the crease when his side were at 64/3. The ball was seaming around under dark skies and James Anderson was putting on a seam bowling clinic.
Half an hour later, the visitors stared down the barrel of the gun after they lost Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer in a space of three overs.
2021 - Second-highest run scorer for India in Tests.
2022 - Highest run scorer for India in Tests.
Rishabh Pant scored the most runs among Indian batters in Test cricket in 2022 👏
#RishabhPant #India #INDvsSL #Cricket #Tests https://t.co/92khg7ayJm
However, Pant's counter-attacking innings left the English bowlers baffled as he wreaked havoc and held India's fort firmly. Alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Pant added as many as 222 runs for the sixth wicket and took India from 98/5 to 320/5.
While he left no stone unturned in stamping his authority on the English bowlers, Pant also showcased that there is a method to his madness. He targeted left-arm spinner Jack Leach and smashed him for 4,6,6 in his second over, knowing very well that there was not much assistance for the left-arm spinner.
While Jadeja played with caution and held his end up, Pant was the aggressor as usual and kept finding the boundaries to keep the scoreboard moving. All in all, he slammed 19 fours and four sixes in his breathtaking innings.
The Delhi lad lofted, drove, and cut the opposition bowlers to perfection en route to his special knock of 146 off just 111 balls. The southpaw brought up a well-deserved hundred - the fifth of his Test career - in 89 balls, which also became the fastest ton by an Indian wicket-keeper ever in the format.
Due to Pant's unbelievable efforts and a significant contribution by Jadeja (104), India managed to pile up 416 runs in their first innings of the match.