Occasions when batters were denied milestones by ‘deliberate’ extras. Instances in which the opposing team prevented a batter from achieving the coveted century mark.
Centuries hold significant importance in the world of cricket, signifying a remarkable achievement for a batter when they cross the coveted 100-run mark. However, when viewed from a team’s perspective, the priority shifts towards ensuring the team’s victory, often surpassing personal milestones. There have been unfortunate instances where both individual and team milestones were at stake. The opposing team prevented the batsmen from achieving their century.
For instance, Evin Lewis, who had swiftly reached his half-century in just 19 balls. On the path to potentially record one of the fastest centuries in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the second-quickest in T20 cricket. St Kitts needed only one more run for a victory. However, Kieron Pollard’s significant overstep resulted in a no-ball, granting St Kitts the win while leaving Lewis agonizingly stranded on 97.
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In the 2008 Duleep Trophy, North Zone, under the leadership of Shikhar Dhawan
Found themselves on the cusp of a remarkable victory. Dhawan stood just six short of a well-deserved century. However, fate played a fickle hand when West Zone’s Rakesh Dhruv sent a wide down the leg side, resulting in five wides. Though one run was needed for victory, a crucial no-ball by Makda curtailed Dhawan’s quest for a century.
In a gripping encounter against Bangladesh in 2002, Herschelle Gibbs was on the brink of cricketing history. He stood just four runs away from becoming the first player to register four consecutive ODI centuries. With South Africa requiring six runs to secure victory with Gibbs at 96, Alok Kapali’s wide delivery eluded wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud, resulting in five runs. Although Gibbs mustered only a single off the next ball, he fell agonizingly short of the century, stranded on 97.
During the 2018 Caribbean Super50, Zak Crawley was on the verge of his first List A century, with Kent trailing Leeward Islands by four runs. However, Sheeno Berridge’s two consecutive wides cut the target to two runs. Despite his partner Sean Dickson’s deliberate attempt to allow Crawley to reach his hundred, the ball rolled over the boundary untouched, giving Kent the win and leaving Crawley stranded on 99.
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