They Fell Like Ninepins! Quiz | Cricket

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1. Ashes 1997 - Having won the first Test at Edgbaston, England went to Lord's full of confidence - 42.3 overs into the 2nd Test, their bubble was well and truly burst, and the Aussies went on to retain the Ashes 3-2. Who took 8 English wickets at Lord's in that first innings of 77 All Out?

Answer: Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath loved Lord's - he took 26 wickets in three tests there over his career at an average of 11 runs per wicket. In 1997, he took 8-38 - only Hussain, Thorpe and Gough reaching double figures for England. Although that test was drawn, the Australians won the next three in the series, before England came back to win the last test as a small consolation.

2. Lord's - England v West Indies in 2000. With a first innings deficit of 133, an Andrew Caddick long hop was clubbed down to third man by Sherwin Campbell, where Darren Gough took a stunning, tumbling catch. This started the rot - after 26.4 overs, West Indies were all out - for how many runs?

Answer: 54

Caddick ended up with 5-16, Gough himself took 2-17, and Dominic Cork took the remaining 3 wickets for 13. The Windies were all out in just over two hours. England still needed 188 to win, and at 8-160, it could still have gone either way. But Cork smashed a quick 33, and England scraped home by 2 wickets.

3. 2006, England v Australia. Having made 551 in the first innings, England were looking to build a winning lead at 1-69 but, 60 runs later, they were all out for 129. The Aussies strolled to victory, and proceeded to win the series 5-0. Which England batsman scored a double century in the first innings?

Answer: Paul Collingwood

No side had ever lost a Test match after scoring more than 550 in its first innings, until this fateful second test at Adelaide on the 2006-07 Ashes Tour. Despite Collingwood's 206, he still ended up on the losing side. This really was a turning point in the series - Australia went on to win the remaining three tests very comfortably, turning in a 5-0 whitewash, and winning back the Ashes emphatically.

4. 1992, Australia v West Indies: the 5 match series is beautifully poised at 1-1 heading into the final test at Perth. Australia are cruising along at 2-85 before one of the deadliest spells of bowling in test cricket is witnessed. Curtly Ambrose had taken 0-24 at that point - what were his final figures in that innings?

Answer: 7-25

Curtly Ambrose took a devastating 7 wickets for 1 run in that spell - Australia slumped to 119 all out - and the other wicket to fall was a run out!

The Windies made a solid 322 in their innings, then Australia made a slightly improved 178 in their second innings - Ian Bishop the destroyer second time around with 6-40, Curtly weighing in with another two wickets to give him match figures of 9-79. The Windies won by an innings and 25 runs, clinching the series 2-1.

5. New Zealand v Pakistan, Wellington 2003 - enjoying a first innings lead of 170, the Kiwis are racing ahead at 3-95 in their second innings. For no apparent reason, 51 minutes later they're all out for 103 - losing 7 wickets for 8 runs. Which Pakistani bowler took 6 wickets in the innings?

Answer: Shoaib Akhtar

The Rawalpindi Express, as Shoaib is affectionately known, has proved to be devastating on his day, and none more so than on a benign wicket at Wellington in 2003 - he ended up with 6-30, clean bowling his last three victims.

Set a testing 274 for victory despite Shaoib's heroics, the Pakistani batsmen set about their task with relish, winning comfortably by seven wickets.

6. 1981 Ashes - almost as exciting as the 2005 series! At the Edgbaston test, Australia only needed 151 to win, and go 2-1 up in the series. At 4-105, it seemed done and dusted - but one England bowler had different thoughts, came on and bowled an unstoppable spell of 5 wickets for 1 run, and won the game for England by 29 runs. Who was the bowler?

Answer: Ian Botham

Dickie Bird, one of Barnsley's most famous residents, was umpiring in the Test, and it is oft reported that at 4-105 he told Mike Brearley, the England captain, to "Put on the twirler's skip, so that we can get home early". Instead, the astute Brearley tossed the ball to "Beefy" Botham, who pulled out a devastating spell of 5 for 1 in 28 balls, to turn the series England's way. Botham was irrepressible with bat and ball in that series - a series that has come to be dubbed "Botham's Ashes".

7. England v Pakistan, 2001 - England needed to bat out the last day to win the series, and just after tea, at 2-201, they looked well on course. However, some excellent bowling from Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mushtaq saw England collapsing to 261 all out, and Pakistan salvaging a series draw from a seemingly impossible situation. Where did this Test match take place?

Answer: Old Trafford, Manchester

No real "explanation" for this collapse other than a sustained effort from three Pakistani bowling "greats" to pull round from a completely lost cause. On what was deemed by all the pundits as a superb batting wicket - over 1,000 runs had been scored on it by the time the England collapse started - Pakistan found inspiration from somewhere and simply brushed England aside to draw the series.

8. Port of Spain, Trinidad, 2000 - West Indies set Zimbabwe a paltry 99 to gain only their fourth overseas victory ever. Before the afternoon session has finished though, the Zimbabweans have capitulated in the face of Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Franklin Rose. How many runs were Zimbabwe dismissed for?

Answer: 63

This was Jimmy Adams' first match as captain of the West Indies, who made 187 in their first "dig". Zimbabwe replied with 236, skipper Andy Flower leading the way with a fine 113 not out. The West Indies only managed 147 second time around, and the victory should have been a formality for the Zimbabweans. But they lost regular wickets, and never threatened victory, falling 35 runs short in the face of some fine West Indian pace bowling.

9. Sri Lanka v Australia, Colombo 1992. A young bowler went into this test with one wicket for 335 runs to his name - he came out of it with his name on everyone's lips. Sri Lanka only needed 182 to win in a high scoring match, and were 3-127 when the young bowler came on as 4th change - he took 3-11 in 5 overs as Sri Lanka slumped to 164 all out. Who was the bowler?

Answer: Shane Warne

Warne had taken 0 for 107 in the first innings, and skipper Allan Border must have been fairly desperate when he turned to Warne with the game virtually lost. But Warne, along with Greg Matthews, helped the Aussies take the remaining 7 Sri Lankan wickets for 37 runs - and the world's most successful leg spinner's career was well and truly off the launch pad!

10. Way back in history - 1882 in fact. Australia made what was then the lowest score in Test history, 63 runs, first time up. England replied with 101, and Australia came back with 122 in their second innings - leaving England a meagre 85 to win the match. But they failed by 7 runs, with one Australian taking a further 7 wickets to double his tally for the match. Who was he?

Answer: Fred Spofforth

Spofforth took 14 wickets for 90 runs in the match - bowling unchanged for 36 and a half overs in the first innings, and producing an inspired spell of bowling in the second innings when England seemed set fair for victory at 2-51, but 26 runs later they were all out, leaving the Australians victorious by 7 runs. Two days later, an Obituary Notice for English cricket was posted in "The Sporting Times", and we all know where the Ashes were taken, don't we?

Source: Author huw27

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They Fell Like Ninepins! Trivia Quiz

Your team is cruising along, plenty of wickets in hand, no apparent terror in the pitch and then suddenly.. this quiz is about some of the most dramatic batting collapses in Test cricket!

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