4/3/24, 12:16 PM Seven ways to stay alive

Broad for five balls, including an overturned lbw

decision, to draw at Lord's

The heroic failure

Five years after the Morrison stand, Astle was
involved in another incredible last-wicket
partnership against England, this time in
Christchurch. He was on 134 and the total 333 in
New Zealand's second innings when the ninth
wicket fell. The injured Chris Cairns, who had not
been expected to bat, joined him with the unlikely
target of 550 before them.

In fact, Astle's blistering assault had begun as soon

as debutant Ian Butler had come in at No. 10 and
the shiny, hard, second new ball had been
introduced; on Cairns' arrival he merely switched
to a higher gear. The first ball he faced from
Matthew Hoggard, he charged down the wicket and
hit for six over long-off. "Holy cow," was all Ian
Smith could manage in the commentary box. Andy
Caddick fared no better, as Astle smashed him for
two fours and two sixes in one over, and three
successive sixes at the start of his next.

When he finally edged behind to Hoggard, he had

hit the fastest double-hundred in Test cricket, from
153 balls. The partnership was 118 runs in 65 balls
and 55 minutes of absolute mayhem. No wonder
Wisden considered it "the most glorious failure in
the history of Test cricket".

https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1093928/nigel-henderson-on-seven-types-of-heroic-last-wicket-stands 9/16