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Kusal Perera 153* vs South Africa - The greatest Test innings of all time?

Kusal Perera 153* vs South Africa - The greatest Test innings of all time?

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Dead Ball

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That was amazing !

VVS Laxman and Lara did it at home. Perera did it against SA IN SA , and facing their full strength pace attack!

For me, it's right up there. Take a bow Perera !
 
Absolutely up there.

From Pakistan perspective, I have seen Inzi do it against Australia and Bangladesh and there are others, but wow Kusal....

Take a bow!!!
 
Absolutely YESSS!!! need 78 runs with just one wicket left against the saffas on bowling friendly pitches and Kusal Perera, the man, the legend, did the unthinkable!!!
 
I don't think I've seen one better.

Remained so calm when batting with the tail and chased the total down single handily when the game looked over.
 
1 of the best I have seen.

Sri Lanka think tank did a clever move by putting him in the middle order. Against spin and a older ball, he can take the game away from teams. He has every shot in the book as well.

Should bat as a opener in ODIs as well.

Brilliant brilliant innings! :bow:
 
The record for highest 4th-innings 10th-wicket stand to win a Test has been smashed. Was 57, now 78.
 
One of the best I've ever seen, without a shadow of doubt.

Cool under pressure, played his shots. Was aware of the match situation and didn't let his guard down.

Masterclass on how to bat with the tail.
 
Nothing, absolutely nothing beats Perera's inning against SA today, the best ever played in test cricket!
 
Perera's 153* is right up there with Lara's 153* twenty years ago.

Apart from the identical individual scores, they are quite a few parallels between the two innings. Undoubtedly one of the greatest Test knocks of all time.
 
One of the 3 best definitely - Lara scored almost identical number for a similar chase and he also took it from 110-5 or so. I think, that Bridgetown innings is still slightly better because of the AUS attack and the condition of the wicket, also Brain was Captain that time, but this one is away from home. Sanga played a similar innings at Hobart in loosing course. I think, among successful chases, 3rd one will be Neil Hervey's 151* in SAF 1950-51, when SAF decided not to enforce follow-on and got bundled for <100 to set something like 330 for Aussies, when Test cricket was played on uncovered tracks.
 
If Perera doesn't end up scoring 20+ test centuries from here, then it's the Lanka system that is to be blamed. I said it a few times on this forum that Lanka has a fairly talented batting lineup up but no experience to guide them. This match changes everything.
 
Mamoon said:
Perera's 153* is right up there with Lara's 153* twenty years ago.

Apart from the identical individual scores, they are quite a few parallels between the two innings. Undoubtedly one of the greatest Test knocks of all time.
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yes but one difference.
Lara's Knock was at home,
this knock was away.
 
MMHS said:
One of the 3 best definitely - Lara scored almost identical number for a similar chase and he also took it from 110-5 or so. I think, that Bridgetown innings is still slightly better because of the AUS attack and the condition of the wicket, also Brain was Captain that time, but this one is away from home. Sanga played a similar innings at Hobart in loosing course. I think, among successful chases, 3rd one will be Neil Hervey's 151* in SAF 1950-51, when SAF decided not to enforce follow-on and got bundled for <100 to set something like 330 for Aussies, when Test cricket was played on uncovered tracks.
Click to expand...

Lara scored 153 as well
 
This reminds me of the 153* not out when Brian Lara steered West Indies to chase a 300 target against Australia 20 years ago.

Now that for me was the greatest Test innings to win a Test match but this looks like it will match it.

Can’t wait to see the highlights tonight.
 
I didn't watch because I thought I'd jinx it. :angelo

Certainly looks the best in history on paper. Philander being out injured wouldn't detract from it too much.
 
warcry said:
yes but one difference.
Lara's Knock was at home,
this knock was away.
Click to expand...

That pitch was in worse condition and it came against the greatest spinner of all time. I would still give Lara's knock the edge, but this legendary material as well.
 
This is better than Lara's knock!

Hope SL take inspiration from this and become strong again. Colombo must be lighted with crackers now ...
Probably their greatest ever TEST win in history!
 
MMHS said:
One of the 3 best definitely - Lara scored almost identical number for a similar chase and he also took it from 110-5 or so. I think, that Bridgetown innings is still slightly better because of the AUS attack and the condition of the wicket, also Brain was Captain that time, but this one is away from home. Sanga played a similar innings at Hobart in loosing course. I think, among successful chases, 3rd one will be Neil Hervey's 151* in SAF 1950-51, when SAF decided not to enforce follow-on and got bundled for <100 to set something like 330 for Aussies, when Test cricket was played on uncovered tracks.
Click to expand...

Stop with this uncovered pitches excuses. Even in those days 500 and 600 used to be scored regularly, but some people are so regressive and impressionable that they would find innings 50 years old which they hadn't even seen video of to be great innings.
 
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What a knock.

Absolutely speechless.

You won't see a win like that for a long, long time
 
Within a span of month the balance of cricket is returning. First by West Indies now by Sri Lanka. One of the best fourth inning knock in cricketing history.
 
Mamoon said:
That pitch was in worse condition and it came against the greatest spinner of all time. I would still give Lara's knock the edge, but this legendary material as well.
Click to expand...

I think this whole pitch was worse is overstated. The greatest spinner didn't even take a single wicket in the last inning in 24 overs, if it was that bad he would have got at least one batsman out in 24 overs. In addition, Healy dropped a sitter of Lara when WI still required 30 odd runs. This freakish inning was chanceless and against the quality of Steyn and Rabada who are in the same class as McGrath and Gillespie. This is SA home, to chase 300+ in visiting country is just unbelievable.
 
a_tahir said:
Lara scored 153 as well
Click to expand...

I watched both innings by every ball and I'll put Brian's innings slightly better - it was against the Aussie juggernaut with filthy mouth and the wicket turned atrocious on day 5. Recent PAK series had raised Olivier's stock rocket high, but to be honest SAF attack is not the same with aging Styen and Vernon. That AUS attack had Mac & Jason at their prime, backed by Warne & McGill, and that Aussie side had lot, lot more experience.
 
happydavy said:
I think this whole pitch was worse is overstated. The greatest spinner didn't even take a single wicket in the last inning in 24 overs, if it was that bad he would have got at least one batsman out in 24 overs. In addition, Healy dropped a sitter of Lara when WI still required 30 odd runs. This freakish inning was chanceless and against the quality of Steyn and Rabada who are in the same class as McGrath and Gillespie. This is SA home, to chase 300+ in visiting country is just unbelievable.
Click to expand...

This is an Asian side in SA against Rabada/Steyn . That is way way tougher than Lara in his own home country.
 
speechless
Test knock while chasing away from home.
Further this being on south african pitch by an asian batsmen makes it GOAT Knock
 
jnaveen1980 said:
This is an Asian side in SA against Rabada/Steyn . That is way way tougher than Lara in his own home country.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. We shouldn’t compare appples and oranges.

They can be both as great each others a both have different factors as Australia’s attack was very good as well.
 
MMHS said:
I watched both innings by every ball and I'll put Brian's innings slightly better - it was against the Aussie juggernaut with filthy mouth and the wicket turned atrocious on day 5. Recent PAK series had raised Olivier's stock rocket high, but to be honest SAF attack is not the same with aging Styen and Vernon. That AUS attack had Mac & Jason at their prime, backed by Warne & McGill, and that Aussie side had lot, lot more experience.
Click to expand...

One was away one was at home.
This one is one of the best test innings.
This is the best i've seen myself
 
jnaveen1980 said:
This is an Asian side in SA against Rabada/Steyn . That is way way tougher than Lara in his own home country.
Click to expand...

100%. Unfortunately Lanka is not a glamorous inning and Perera is not a famous player so impressionable minds can never accept that. This to most neutral and matured fans will be the best ever test inning, no questions asked. Someone is saying pitche was turning square in WI, then how come McGill and Warner combined took 1 wicket in 45 overs on last day pitch. Lara was playing a great inning, what about other batsmen. What stopped Warne and McGill to get them out.
 
happydavy said:
Stop with this uncovered pitches excuses. Even in those days 500 and 600 used to be scored regularly, but some people are so regressive and impressionable that they would find innings 50 years old which they hadn't even seen video of to be great innings.
Click to expand...

Uncovered wicket doesn't mean it's unplayable always, rather those were actually often better batting wickets under sun, because wickets were prepared to last longer. But, once it's rain soaked, for next few hours a drying wicket becomes sticky and ball grips, seems prodigiously. Also because of the soft top surface, batting side couldn't use heavy roller to take the moisture out and flatten it at the start. For that, there were Tests where teams had declared 7/8 down with ~100 on board (to put fielding side on Sticky dog) or altered batting order to bring tail enders on wet wickets and many Tests had seen polar scores - 600+, followed by 120 and sometimes by same team - one such Test was 1938 Ashes at Oval where AUS lost by innings and 579 (Bradman didn't bat, yet ..), after Poms posted 900+. That Test match, SAF didn't enforce the follow-on considering weather forecast and rain did came, but Hervery masters Hugh Tayfield on a wet track.
 
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I think being an away test knock in a country where Asian sides rarely win a Single Test has to be taken into acccount. Away from home in SA, chasing a mammoth target this one has to be the most special knock.
 
The biggest differnce bwtween Lara's are Parera's innings was that Perara gave no chance and Lara was quite tense in final part of the run chase
 
a_tahir said:
One was away one was at home.
This one is one of the best test innings.
This is the best i've seen myself
Click to expand...

Definitely one of the best ever - in fact, out of 142 years history and almost 35K innings, if you are in contention of top 1-2 innings, it has to be something special. I watched both, and probably'll take Lara's one slightly ahead of this one. Today, SAF looked to be a bit scared when last pair started the resurgence .... even their broadcasters - first I saw SAF needs 1 wicket to win, it changed to SRL needs 34 to win :) Aussie were real hard nut and Lara planned his innings brilliantly - he kept playing out Warne and and made sure that Warne doesn't get pumped up, while McGrath bowled like 35 overs in Day 5 from one end!!!! In terms of % runs, Lara scored slightly more - Perera came at 53/3 and scored 153 out of 251; Lara also came at 5 that day at 78/3 and scored 153 out of 233.
 
I think the one major difference between Lara's innings and Perera's is the difference in expectation on their shoulders. There was little expectation today as no one would even have fantasized that Sri Lanka would win this match especially after their performances across the last three months. There was no crowd pressure as the match was played in front of empty stands sadly.

Twenty years ago in Barbados, the pressure and tension seemed to even drip off the television screen. Even now, when I watch highlights of that last day's play I cannot imagine how Lara pulled it off and still keep expecting Australia to win.

But Perera's innings should legitimately be right up there, and if anyone says it's the best in history, I will have no qualms about it.
 
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Last Monetarist said:
I think the one major difference between Lara's innings and Perera's is the difference in expectation on their shoulders. There was little expectation today as no one would even have fantasized that Sri Lanka would win this match especially after their performances across the last three months. There was no crowd pressure as the match was played in front of empty stands sadly.

Twenty years ago in Barbados, the pressure and tension seemed to even drip off the television screen. Even now, when I watch highlights of that last day's play I cannot imagine how Lara pulled it off and still keep expecting Australia to win.

But Perera's innings should legitimately be right up there, and if anyone says it's the best in history, I will have no qualms about it.
Click to expand...

Unless one watches both innings, it's really difficult to explain what Lara did that day at Barbados. Sometimes, playing on home ground could be more pressure as well. But, indeed Kushal's innings is among the very, very best.
 
Lara’s innings was better
But Inzamam’s innings against Australia 1994 was even better.
 
Tendulkar's 136 with 17 to win and 4 wickets in hand resulted in a loss. Another 17 runs Tendulkar would be sharing the lime light. But i would still put this knock ahead of every knock because he pretty much had to do the entire scoring for the last wicket by himself. Last wicket partnership 74 runs. Perera scored 67 of them. That alone is enough.
 
MMHS said:
Unless one watches both innings, it's really difficult to explain what Lara did that day at Barbados. Sometimes, playing on home ground could be more pressure as well. But, indeed Kushal's innings is among the very, very best.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. With Lara's innings, you don't really had to have watched it live to realize that it was something special.

On paper, Perera's innings looks better because it was away from home against a very strong bowling attack (even without Philander). I didn't watch it so don't really have a definitive opinion except that it's one of the greatest in history. I am hoping I might have a better idea after watching some highlights later tonight.
 
Laxman played an amazing innings of 281 followed by his first innings 59. But he had a partner in crime. Dravid made 180 as well.
 
Brilliant knock! Good to see Asian batsmen playing knocks that should be remembered for a long, long time to come!
 
jeetu said:
Within a span of month the balance of cricket is returning. First by West Indies now by Sri Lanka. One of the best fourth inning knock in cricketing history.
Click to expand...

thats good for test cricket
if only pakistan can find its feet in test cricket now
 
Considering the opposition, the location, and the circumstances, this could be one of the most influential innings ever.
 
It might well be the greatest chasing innings ever. Butcher’s 177* against Australia springs to mind too.
 
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Best Ever!!! Lara's innings was considered the best but it was at home. This is in SA, the graveyard for batsmen and by SL without their best players. Mathews, Chandimal and the regular bowlers.
 
A slap on the face of our standards and our team. A poorer team (no offence) won a match against SA in SA, and yet we couldn't do so. Our cricket is in ruins, like hockey and other sports. Can't even watch PSL because of abysmal performances, with fake written all over it, resulting in mistakes & blunders on a scale unprecedented. Are we improving? really? We get hyped over nobodies, and then they let us down, instead of going the extra mile.

On the other hand, teams like Sirilanka & NZ, they fight on foreign soils. NZ even win matches against us in our home. SL, Ind & bangladesh give good performance over seas. While, we have yet to figure out whether we want to change our whole domestic set up or continue with different variations of same thing over and over again, without actually giving chance to those who deserve it. That's what happened when merit is ignored. I hope we learn from it
 
Pk716 said:
Brilliant knock from kusal perera. Though in losing cause, I feel 222 by nathan astle is one of the best knocks ever. https://youtu.be/PE8q2l2gRAk
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To me Sachin's 136 and Gavaskar's 96 are two of the greatest 4th innings knock that resulted in a loss. Both times India lost to Pakistan One by 16 runs one by 12 runs. Both were in the vicinity of win before they perished. Another innings is Gavaskar's 221 when India was chasing 438 at the oval. India was 429/8. 9 away from win before the match was called off.
 
One of the best innings of all time along with Laxman’s double, Lara’s chase and Botham’s Headingley.
 
https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/proteas-faf-hails-super-human-perera-knock-20190216
Proteas: Faf hails 'super-human' Perera knock

loyd Burnard - Kingsmead
Durban - When Sri Lanka found themselves 110/5 at Kingsmead on Saturday, still 194 runs away from what seemed a near-impossible target, Kusal Perera was 25*.

At that stage, the hard-hitting left-hander could not have imagined that he would finish with a career-best 153* innings of a lifetime to guide Sri Lanka to one of the most famous wins of their Test existence.

It was a knock that left the Proteas gobsmacked, and one that has ensured the hosts cannot win this Test series with only Port Elizabeth to come.

Perera faced exactly 200 balls, batted for over five hours, hit 12 fours and 5 sixes.

He was fearless throughout, unfazed by South Africa's relentless short bowling.

When No 11 Vishwa Fernando - a proper Test No 11 - came to the wicket at 226/9, Sri Lanka still needed 78 runs to win.

It was simply not possible, until it was.

Perera scored 67 of those required runs in a last-wicket partnership that will be remembered for a long, long time both in South Africa and abroad.

In that stand, Perera faced 68 balls while Fernando's 6* off 27 was as important as anything.

The Proteas went short, full, put the field out, brought it in, backed their seamers and used spin, but still could not stop an innings that was simply meant to be.

"There are obviously quite a lot of emotions with disappointment being right at the top," a stunned Du Plessis said in his post-match press conference.

"I'm trying to think what we as a team could have done better, but an innings like that is one that will be spoken about for years to come.

"He took the game on and he takes a lot of risks. Some days it pays off and some days it doesn't. To consistently hit the bowlers that we have over the fielders for six ... all the risks paid off.

"He just manoeuvred beautifully with the whole tail and managed to get the strike."

The nature of the loss will be concerning to South African fans given that there is a World Cup around the corner.

From a position where they should never have lost on Saturday, the Proteas somehow found a way and that is something that is all too familiar when it comes to World Cups.

Du Plessis, however, insists that the defeat had nothing to do with his side's inability to deliver in high-pressure situations.

"I don't see that. The pressure of Test cricket is very different," he said.

"You're bowling to one player the whole time and some days you just have to say, 'well played'.

"It wasn't through our mistakes where we dropped catches. It was purely a super-human effort with the bat and when that happens in Test, T20 or ODI cricket then that's got nothing to do with us and pressure."

The second Test in Port Elizabeth gets underway on Thursday.
 
I agree with Faf. This reminds me of Srilankan CT win against India in 2017. They took lot of risks. Every risk they took came off nicely. Looks like they have done the same here. They tried the same in Australia. But Australian bowling was simply too good for them.
 
So someone is already insinuating "C word" lol Will SA feel the heat going forward in Tests as well?
 
What the hell...

This may have eclipsed Laxman's knock to become the greatest.

What the hell...i cant believe this....
 
xricket said:
A slap on the face of our standards and our team. A poorer team (no offence) won a match against SA in SA, and yet we couldn't do so. Our cricket is in ruins, like hockey and other sports. Can't even watch PSL because of abysmal performances, with fake written all over it, resulting in mistakes & blunders on a scale unprecedented. Are we improving? really? We get hyped over nobodies, and then they let us down, instead of going the extra mile.

On the other hand, teams like Sirilanka & NZ, they fight on foreign soils. NZ even win matches against us in our home. SL, Ind & bangladesh give good performance over seas. While, we have yet to figure out whether we want to change our whole domestic set up or continue with different variations of same thing over and over again, without actually giving chance to those who deserve it. That's what happened when merit is ignored. I hope we learn from it
Click to expand...

yes you are right. But i feel that pakistan's decline coincides with no international cricket at home. When we move cricket back to Pakistan, I expect pakistan cricket to start improving.

Also if we could axe some non-performing seniors and improve domestic pitches, it would be great.
 
I have not seen it but from a historical perspective, the circumstances dictate that it must certainly be one of the best. Philander was out for the final day, Steyn not at his best but this is a very good saffers attack, on what was said to be a good wicket, with a SL team which is probably the worst in my memory. For Parrera to manage the tailenders in that side, to score when required and to marshall his side to a victory certainly puts it alongside historical innings.
 
Goes to show that T-20 hitters can win Test matches. It was pathetic to see Pakistan continuously play the stroke less talentless struggling Azhar Ali in South Africa.

Perera is horribly inconsistent and I doubt he will ever repeat this effort again in his life.
 
[MENTION=133760]Abdullah719[/MENTION]

With a tripple hundred.

Too bad this guy could not establish himself
 
Used to see this guy as Sharjeel’s competition and he started out better and then for a period Sharjeel overtook him, and now again he has far surpassed, not to mention one of the best innings ever - damn.
 
The greatest test innings of all time. If this was a pak batsman he would have become pm by now.

Overtaking steve waughs twin centuries at old trafford in 97.. when aus were 1-0 down &50 odd for 5 ashes were just about gone.

Its all about away test runs.
 
When he was about 40 runs away I was already comparing it to Lara’s 153* so when he reached 147 with 6 runs remaining I really wanted him to score the exact same score!

Special innings!

Congrats to him and Sri Lanka!
 
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