South Africa won the fourth Test against Australia in Johannesburg by a massive 492-run margin to take the series 3-1. It wasn’t really a surprise that the Proteas would win the Test and hence the series after Australia invited trouble for themselves at the third game in Cape Town which they also lost badly. With their captain and vice-captain who are also two of their premier batsmen banned from the game for allowing unethical means in the third match, it was a herculean task for the visitors to draw the series which they were once leading 1-0.

However, in terms of records, it was one of the best victories for South Africa in a Test series as they came back from behind to win it – for the first time against Australia on home soil since 1970. This is the fourth time South Africa have won a series after losing the first Test and all of them have happened at home (2-1 vs New Zealand in 1994-95; 2-1 vs India in 2006-07; 2-1 vs West Indies in 2007-08 and 3-1 vs Australia in 2017-18).

Winning a Test series after coming from behind always makes it an absorbing affair and out of 40 such instances where a team has won a series after trailing in the history of the game, we pick the top five:

1. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> beat Australia 2-1 in 3-Test series in India, 2000-01

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236850" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/VVS-Laxman-and-Rahul-Dravid.jpg" alt="VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236850" class="wp-caption-text">VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid of India leave the field at lunch, during day four of the 2nd Test between India and Australia played at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, India. (Photo by Hamish Blair/ALLSPORT)</figcaption>

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/virat-kohli-needs-to-deal-with-the-other-senior-men-in-a-different-way-says-steve-waugh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Waugh</a>’s men came to India with 15 consecutive victories in Tests and after they won the first game in Mumbai by 10 wickets, not many were of the opinion that the Aussie juggernaut could be stopped, even if it was in Asia – Waugh’s final frontier.

But a Hyderabadi batsman, who was still to complete five years of his career in cricket at that time, thought otherwise. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/absolutely-wonderful-see-pride-ms-dhoni-carries-army-uniform-vvs-laxman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VVS Laxman</a> stood high among the ruins even as India collapsed for 171 in the first innings of the second Test in Kolkata in reply to Australia’s 445 and then came out to bat at number three after Waugh asked the hosts to follow on. The wristy batsman played an innings that only Superman could scoring 281, and was given a solid backing by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/march-29-2004-when-rahul-dravid-declared-with-sachin-tendulkar-on-194/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rahul Dravid</a> (180) to put the Aussies under pressure. On the fifth day, Waugh’s men were bowled out for 212 to lose the game by 171 runs.

Having stopped the Australian run, India under Sourav Ganguly looked a rejuvenated lot and their lower-order kept the cool to pull off a thrilling 2-wicket victory in Chennai to register an unbelievable 2-1 win in the series. This was the second time that India achieved such a feat after their 2-1 home series win over England in 1972-73 but given the way they returned in the series, this victory has remained evergreen in the mind of each supporter of the Indian cricket team.

2. England beat Australia 3-1 in 6-Test series in England, 1981-82

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236864" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ian-Botham-of-England.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236864" class="wp-caption-text">Ian Botham of England takes the catch to dismiss Rod Marsh of Australia. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption>

This six-game Ashes series is a 1980’s equivalent of the 2001 series for just like Laxman, England’s legendary all-rounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ian-bothams-international-career-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ian Botham</a> brought his team back into the series after winning a game in Leeds which it was following on. The hosts won the next Test in Birmingham closely, just as India did in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-chennai-super-kings-approaching-milestones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chennai</a>, and then the next in Manchester to register a series victory. Botham also hit a ton in the fifth Test and because of his magnificent performance with both bat and ball, this series is rightly dubbed as Botham’s Ashes.

What is more interesting is that Botham was the captain of England for the first two Tests in the series which the hosts could not win. Botham’s own form till then was ordinary and the selectors and the general mood were against him. But then after he was replaced by Mike Brearley for the remaining four Tests, Botham was a different person altogether and history is witness to that.

3. England beat Australia 2-1 in 5-Test series in 2005

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236869" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/England.jpg" alt="England" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236869" class="wp-caption-text">England&#8217;s Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen celebrate as they beat Australia during the fourth day of the fourth npower Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Sunday August 28, 2005. (Photo by Rui Vieira &#8211; PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption>

This series is another gem in the history of the Ashes. England were No.2 Test side then after Australia and the series promised to be an absorbing one despite the fact that England had lost eight successive Ashes till that series since 1989. But the side led by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/michael-vaughan-calls-cricket-australia-self-righteous-and-abusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Vaughan</a> did not disappoint the supporters losing the first match at Lord’s by 239 runs.

The second Test in Birmingham was a thriller and it turned England’s fortunes completely. Like Botham in 1981, this game was dominated by another English allrounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/former-england-all-rounder-andrew-flintoff-to-apply-for-england-coach-position-in-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Flintoff</a>. Besides scoring two vital half-centuries, Flintoff took seven Australian wickets to neutralise a classic performance by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/australia-surely-needs-some-new-people-who-are-passionate-about-the-game-shane-warne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Warne</a> to give his team a 2-run win.

The next Test in Manchester was drawn even as Australia did all their best to chase a steep target of 423 and then England took an unassailable lead in the series after almost two decades by winning the fourth Test in Nottingham after asking Australia to follow on. The final Test in Oval was drawn even after promising thrill and England retook the Ashes after a generation. Warne remained a tragic hero in the series with 40 wickets and a decent batting performance with the highest score of 90.

4. England beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in 3-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2000-01

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236871" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/England-v-Sri-Lanka.jpg" alt="England" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236871" class="wp-caption-text">15 Aug 2000: Tim Murtagh of England (second from right) is congratulated by team-mates after dismissing Nimesh Perera of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Mike Finn-Kelcey/ALLSPORT)</figcaption>

This remained England’s first-ever victory in a full-fledged away Test series versus Sri Lanka and the only so far. Sri Lanka were always a team to beat in their den but England, who were amid a great run with three consecutive Test series victories, took the challenge even after getting thumped in the first match in Galle by an innings and 28 runs.

They had just beaten Pakistan in Pakistan in the previous series and were eager to repeat the show in yet another Asian country. England’s fast bowlers did well to restrict Sanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lanka for less than 300 in the second Test in Kandy and the visitors then took a crucial lead of 90 runs, thanks to a century by skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/former-england-skipper-nasser-hussain-speaks-up-on-australia-ball-tampering-incident/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nasser Hussain</a>. Sri Lanka then lost six wickets to neutralise the lead but for Kumar Sangakkara (95) who refused to give up.

They gave England a tricky target of 161 in the fourth innings and just when the visitors started making a mess of it by getting reduced to 89 for 4 and then 97 for 5, it was left to the lower order plus Graeme Hick to take them home and they did it successfully with three wickets to spare. This win suddenly made England a different side altogether and they fought hard in a low-scoring third Test in Colombo to win it by 4 wickets to secure a historic win.

The spinners along with a gritty Graham Thorpe competed with the Lankans ball by ball to win this game albeit narrowly while chasing just 74 in the fourth innings. This series also saw England winning a three-Test series after trailing for the first time since 1888.

5. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan 2-1 in 3-game series in Pakistan in 1995-96

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236872" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Aravinda-de-Silva.jpg" alt="Aravinda de Silva" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption-text">Aravinda De Silva. (Photo by Getty Images)</figcaption>

This was Sri Lanka’s first-ever away series against an Asian opponent and also only the second away series win since they started playing Tests in 1982. And it came in the most thrilling fashion for Arjuna Ranatunga’s men as they clinched the series despite losing the first game.

The first Test in Peshawar was a completely one-sided affair with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitter-roasts-rameez-raja-questioning-ms-dhonis-grade-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rameez Raja</a>’s home team winning it by an innings and 40 runs after forcing a follow-on over the Lankans. But Ranatunga’s squad was fast to correct its course and came back strongly in Faisalabad, banking on magnificent centuries from Hasan Tillakaratne and Aravinda de Silva and a solid bowling performance from the bowlers led by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/muttiah-muralitharan-shares-bowling-tricks-yusuf-pathan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Muttiah Muralitharan</a> and Chaminda Vaas.

Sri Lanka conceded a first inning lead of 110 runs but came back strongly in the second innings by an undeterred batting performance from de Silva, Chandika Hathurusinghe and even from the lower order. Pakistan required 252 runs to win the series but were bowled out for 209 by the Vaas-Muralidharan-Kumara Dharmasena troika, losing the match by 42 runs.

It then went down to the third and deciding game in Sialkot. Sri Lanka fared ordinarily yet again, getting bowled out for 232 in their first innings by the Pakistani pacers sans <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wasim-akram-coaches-6-year-old-mystery-bowler/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wasim Akram</a> who missed this Test. But Sri Lankan bowlers more than made up for the batting disappointment by securing an 18 runs lead over Pakistan as the home team got all out for 214. Muralidharan took 4 wickets and was given a great support by de Silva, Dharmasena and Pramodya Wickremasinghe.

The visitors grabbed this chance and led by skipper Ranatunga (87), declared after posting a respectable 338 for the loss of 9 wickets, setting a target of 357 for the hosts. Pakistan had a disastrous beginning to the chase, losing 5 for just 15 with the two Lankan seamers running through their batting line-up. Wicketkeeper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/psl-2018-sarfraz-moin-khan-miffed-mir-hamza-not-running-2-off-last-ball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moin Khan</a> hit a valiant 117 not out but that was never going to be enough as the next highest score was the extras! Pakistan were scuttled out for 212 with Muralidharan not taking a single wicket, losing the match by 144 runs and gifting the Islanders their first-ever sensational series win in Tests.

All the important details about the Sandpaper Gate:

For all the latest cricket news and other details follow <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/">CricTracker</a>.

South Africa won the fourth Test against Australia in Johannesburg by a massive 492-run margin to take the series 3-1. It wasn’t really a surprise that the Proteas would win the Test and hence the series after Australia invited trouble for themselves at the third game in Cape Town which they also lost badly. With their captain and vice-captain who are also two of their premier batsmen banned from the game for allowing unethical means in the third match, it was a herculean task for the visitors to draw the series which they were once leading 1-0.
However, in terms of records, it was one of the best victories for South Africa in a Test series as they came back from behind to win it – for the first time against Australia on home soil since 1970. This is the fourth time South Africa have won a series after losing the first Test and all of them have happened at home (2-1 vs New Zealand in 1994-95; 2-1 vs India in 2006-07; 2-1 vs West Indies in 2007-08 and 3-1 vs Australia in 2017-18).
Winning a Test series after coming from behind always makes it an absorbing affair and out of 40 such instances where a team has won a series after trailing in the history of the game, we pick the top five:
<h3>1. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> beat Australia 2-1 in 3-Test series in India, 2000-01</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236850" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236850" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-236850" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/VVS-Laxman-and-Rahul-Dravid.jpg" alt="VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236850" class="wp-caption-text">VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid of India leave the field at lunch, during day four of the 2nd Test between India and Australia played at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, India. (Photo by Hamish Blair/ALLSPORT)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/virat-kohli-needs-to-deal-with-the-other-senior-men-in-a-different-way-says-steve-waugh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Waugh</a>’s men came to India with 15 consecutive victories in Tests and after they won the first game in Mumbai by 10 wickets, not many were of the opinion that the Aussie juggernaut could be stopped, even if it was in Asia – Waugh’s final frontier.
But a Hyderabadi batsman, who was still to complete five years of his career in cricket at that time, thought otherwise. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/absolutely-wonderful-see-pride-ms-dhoni-carries-army-uniform-vvs-laxman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VVS Laxman</a> stood high among the ruins even as India collapsed for 171 in the first innings of the second Test in Kolkata in reply to Australia’s 445 and then came out to bat at number three after Waugh asked the hosts to follow on. The wristy batsman played an innings that only Superman could scoring 281, and was given a solid backing by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/march-29-2004-when-rahul-dravid-declared-with-sachin-tendulkar-on-194/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rahul Dravid</a> (180) to put the Aussies under pressure. On the fifth day, Waugh’s men were bowled out for 212 to lose the game by 171 runs.
Having stopped the Australian run, India under Sourav Ganguly looked a rejuvenated lot and their lower-order kept the cool to pull off a thrilling 2-wicket victory in Chennai to register an unbelievable 2-1 win in the series. This was the second time that India achieved such a feat after their 2-1 home series win over England in 1972-73 but given the way they returned in the series, this victory has remained evergreen in the mind of each supporter of the Indian cricket team.
<h3>2. England beat Australia 3-1 in 6-Test series in England, 1981-82</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236864" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236864" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-236864" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ian-Botham-of-England.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236864" class="wp-caption-text">Ian Botham of England takes the catch to dismiss Rod Marsh of Australia. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
This six-game Ashes series is a 1980’s equivalent of the 2001 series for just like Laxman, England’s legendary all-rounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ian-bothams-international-career-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ian Botham</a> brought his team back into the series after winning a game in Leeds which it was following on. The hosts won the next Test in Birmingham closely, just as India did in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-chennai-super-kings-approaching-milestones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chennai</a>, and then the next in Manchester to register a series victory. Botham also hit a ton in the fifth Test and because of his magnificent performance with both bat and ball, this series is rightly dubbed as Botham’s Ashes.
What is more interesting is that Botham was the captain of England for the first two Tests in the series which the hosts could not win. Botham’s own form till then was ordinary and the selectors and the general mood were against him. But then after he was replaced by Mike Brearley for the remaining four Tests, Botham was a different person altogether and history is witness to that.
<h3>3. England beat Australia 2-1 in 5-Test series in 2005</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236869" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236869" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-236869" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/England.jpg" alt="England" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236869" class="wp-caption-text">England’s Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen celebrate as they beat Australia during the fourth day of the fourth npower Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Sunday August 28, 2005. (Photo by Rui Vieira – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
This series is another gem in the history of the Ashes. England were No.2 Test side then after Australia and the series promised to be an absorbing one despite the fact that England had lost eight successive Ashes till that series since 1989. But the side led by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/michael-vaughan-calls-cricket-australia-self-righteous-and-abusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Vaughan</a> did not disappoint the supporters losing the first match at Lord’s by 239 runs.
The second Test in Birmingham was a thriller and it turned England’s fortunes completely. Like Botham in 1981, this game was dominated by another English allrounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/former-england-all-rounder-andrew-flintoff-to-apply-for-england-coach-position-in-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Flintoff</a>. Besides scoring two vital half-centuries, Flintoff took seven Australian wickets to neutralise a classic performance by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/australia-surely-needs-some-new-people-who-are-passionate-about-the-game-shane-warne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Warne</a> to give his team a 2-run win.
The next Test in Manchester was drawn even as Australia did all their best to chase a steep target of 423 and then England took an unassailable lead in the series after almost two decades by winning the fourth Test in Nottingham after asking Australia to follow on. The final Test in Oval was drawn even after promising thrill and England retook the Ashes after a generation. Warne remained a tragic hero in the series with 40 wickets and a decent batting performance with the highest score of 90.
<h3>4. England beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in 3-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2000-01</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236871" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236871" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-236871" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/England-v-Sri-Lanka.jpg" alt="England" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236871" class="wp-caption-text">15 Aug 2000: Tim Murtagh of England (second from right) is congratulated by team-mates after dismissing Nimesh Perera of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Mike Finn-Kelcey/ALLSPORT)</figcaption></figure>
This remained England’s first-ever victory in a full-fledged away Test series versus Sri Lanka and the only so far. Sri Lanka were always a team to beat in their den but England, who were amid a great run with three consecutive Test series victories, took the challenge even after getting thumped in the first match in Galle by an innings and 28 runs.
They had just beaten Pakistan in Pakistan in the previous series and were eager to repeat the show in yet another Asian country. England’s fast bowlers did well to restrict Sanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lanka for less than 300 in the second Test in Kandy and the visitors then took a crucial lead of 90 runs, thanks to a century by skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/former-england-skipper-nasser-hussain-speaks-up-on-australia-ball-tampering-incident/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nasser Hussain</a>. Sri Lanka then lost six wickets to neutralise the lead but for Kumar Sangakkara (95) who refused to give up.
They gave England a tricky target of 161 in the fourth innings and just when the visitors started making a mess of it by getting reduced to 89 for 4 and then 97 for 5, it was left to the lower order plus Graeme Hick to take them home and they did it successfully with three wickets to spare. This win suddenly made England a different side altogether and they fought hard in a low-scoring third Test in Colombo to win it by 4 wickets to secure a historic win.
The spinners along with a gritty Graham Thorpe competed with the Lankans ball by ball to win this game albeit narrowly while chasing just 74 in the fourth innings. This series also saw England winning a three-Test series after trailing for the first time since 1888.
<h3>5. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan 2-1 in 3-game series in Pakistan in 1995-96</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236872" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-236872" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Aravinda-de-Silva.jpg" alt="Aravinda de Silva" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption-text">Aravinda De Silva. (Photo by Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
This was Sri Lanka’s first-ever away series against an Asian opponent and also only the second away series win since they started playing Tests in 1982. And it came in the most thrilling fashion for Arjuna Ranatunga’s men as they clinched the series despite losing the first game.
The first Test in Peshawar was a completely one-sided affair with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitter-roasts-rameez-raja-questioning-ms-dhonis-grade-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rameez Raja</a>’s home team winning it by an innings and 40 runs after forcing a follow-on over the Lankans. But Ranatunga’s squad was fast to correct its course and came back strongly in Faisalabad, banking on magnificent centuries from Hasan Tillakaratne and Aravinda de Silva and a solid bowling performance from the bowlers led by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/muttiah-muralitharan-shares-bowling-tricks-yusuf-pathan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Muttiah Muralitharan</a> and Chaminda Vaas.
Sri Lanka conceded a first inning&nbsp;lead of 110 runs but came back strongly in the second innings by an undeterred batting performance from de Silva, Chandika Hathurusinghe and even from the lower order. Pakistan required 252 runs to win the series but were bowled out for 209 by the Vaas-Muralidharan-Kumara Dharmasena troika, losing the match by 42 runs.
It then went down to the third and deciding game in Sialkot. Sri Lanka fared ordinarily yet again, getting bowled out for 232 in their first innings by the Pakistani pacers sans <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wasim-akram-coaches-6-year-old-mystery-bowler/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wasim Akram</a> who missed this Test. But Sri Lankan bowlers more than made up for the batting disappointment by securing an 18 runs lead over Pakistan as the home team got all out for 214. Muralidharan took 4 wickets and was given a great support by de Silva, Dharmasena and Pramodya Wickremasinghe.
The visitors grabbed this chance and led by skipper Ranatunga (87), declared after posting a respectable 338 for the loss of 9 wickets, setting a target of 357 for the hosts. Pakistan had a disastrous beginning to the chase, losing 5 for just 15 with the two Lankan seamers running through their batting line-up. Wicketkeeper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/psl-2018-sarfraz-moin-khan-miffed-mir-hamza-not-running-2-off-last-ball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moin Khan</a> hit a valiant 117 not out but that was never going to be enough as the next highest score was the extras! Pakistan were scuttled out for 212 with Muralidharan not taking a single wicket, losing the match by 144 runs and gifting the Islanders their first-ever sensational series win in Tests.
<h3>All the important details about the Sandpaper Gate:</h3>
<amp-youtube data-videoid="7Xaadhgvfw8" layout="responsive" height="281" width="500" data-param-feature="oembed"></amp-youtube>
<h4 class="p1">For all the latest&nbsp;cricket news&nbsp;and other details follow&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/">CricTracker</a>.</h4>

South Africa won the fourth Test against Australia in Johannesburg by a massive 492-run margin to take the series 3-1. It wasn’t really a surprise that the Proteas would win the Test and hence the series after Australia invited trouble for themselves at the third game in Cape Town which they also lost badly. With their captain and vice-captain who are also two of their premier batsmen banned from the game for allowing unethical means in the third match, it was a herculean task for the visitors to draw the series which they were once leading 1-0.
However, in terms of records, it was one of the best victories for South Africa in a Test series as they came back from behind to win it – for the first time against Australia on home soil since 1970. This is the fourth time South Africa have won a series after losing the first Test and all of them have happened at home (2-1 vs New Zealand in 1994-95; 2-1 vs India in 2006-07; 2-1 vs West Indies in 2007-08 and 3-1 vs Australia in 2017-18).
Winning a Test series after coming from behind always makes it an absorbing affair and out of 40 such instances where a team has won a series after trailing in the history of the game, we pick the top five:
<h3>1. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> beat Australia 2-1 in 3-Test series in India, 2000-01</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236850" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236850" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236850" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/VVS-Laxman-and-Rahul-Dravid.jpg" alt="VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236850" class="wp-caption-text">VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid of India leave the field at lunch, during day four of the 2nd Test between India and Australia played at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, India. (Photo by Hamish Blair/ALLSPORT)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/virat-kohli-needs-to-deal-with-the-other-senior-men-in-a-different-way-says-steve-waugh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Waugh</a>’s men came to India with 15 consecutive victories in Tests and after they won the first game in Mumbai by 10 wickets, not many were of the opinion that the Aussie juggernaut could be stopped, even if it was in Asia – Waugh’s final frontier.
But a Hyderabadi batsman, who was still to complete five years of his career in cricket at that time, thought otherwise. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/absolutely-wonderful-see-pride-ms-dhoni-carries-army-uniform-vvs-laxman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VVS Laxman</a> stood high among the ruins even as India collapsed for 171 in the first innings of the second Test in Kolkata in reply to Australia’s 445 and then came out to bat at number three after Waugh asked the hosts to follow on. The wristy batsman played an innings that only Superman could scoring 281, and was given a solid backing by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/march-29-2004-when-rahul-dravid-declared-with-sachin-tendulkar-on-194/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rahul Dravid</a> (180) to put the Aussies under pressure. On the fifth day, Waugh’s men were bowled out for 212 to lose the game by 171 runs.
Having stopped the Australian run, India under Sourav Ganguly looked a rejuvenated lot and their lower-order kept the cool to pull off a thrilling 2-wicket victory in Chennai to register an unbelievable 2-1 win in the series. This was the second time that India achieved such a feat after their 2-1 home series win over England in 1972-73 but given the way they returned in the series, this victory has remained evergreen in the mind of each supporter of the Indian cricket team.
<h3>2. England beat Australia 3-1 in 6-Test series in England, 1981-82</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236864" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236864" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236864" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ian-Botham-of-England.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236864" class="wp-caption-text">Ian Botham of England takes the catch to dismiss Rod Marsh of Australia. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
This six-game Ashes series is a 1980’s equivalent of the 2001 series for just like Laxman, England’s legendary all-rounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ian-bothams-international-career-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ian Botham</a> brought his team back into the series after winning a game in Leeds which it was following on. The hosts won the next Test in Birmingham closely, just as India did in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-chennai-super-kings-approaching-milestones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chennai</a>, and then the next in Manchester to register a series victory. Botham also hit a ton in the fifth Test and because of his magnificent performance with both bat and ball, this series is rightly dubbed as Botham’s Ashes.
What is more interesting is that Botham was the captain of England for the first two Tests in the series which the hosts could not win. Botham’s own form till then was ordinary and the selectors and the general mood were against him. But then after he was replaced by Mike Brearley for the remaining four Tests, Botham was a different person altogether and history is witness to that.
<h3>3. England beat Australia 2-1 in 5-Test series in 2005</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236869" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236869" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236869" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/England.jpg" alt="England" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236869" class="wp-caption-text">England&#8217;s Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen celebrate as they beat Australia during the fourth day of the fourth npower Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Sunday August 28, 2005. (Photo by Rui Vieira &#8211; PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
This series is another gem in the history of the Ashes. England were No.2 Test side then after Australia and the series promised to be an absorbing one despite the fact that England had lost eight successive Ashes till that series since 1989. But the side led by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/michael-vaughan-calls-cricket-australia-self-righteous-and-abusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Vaughan</a> did not disappoint the supporters losing the first match at Lord’s by 239 runs.
The second Test in Birmingham was a thriller and it turned England’s fortunes completely. Like Botham in 1981, this game was dominated by another English allrounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/former-england-all-rounder-andrew-flintoff-to-apply-for-england-coach-position-in-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Flintoff</a>. Besides scoring two vital half-centuries, Flintoff took seven Australian wickets to neutralise a classic performance by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/australia-surely-needs-some-new-people-who-are-passionate-about-the-game-shane-warne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Warne</a> to give his team a 2-run win.
The next Test in Manchester was drawn even as Australia did all their best to chase a steep target of 423 and then England took an unassailable lead in the series after almost two decades by winning the fourth Test in Nottingham after asking Australia to follow on. The final Test in Oval was drawn even after promising thrill and England retook the Ashes after a generation. Warne remained a tragic hero in the series with 40 wickets and a decent batting performance with the highest score of 90.
<h3>4. England beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in 3-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2000-01</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236871" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236871" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236871" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/England-v-Sri-Lanka.jpg" alt="England" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236871" class="wp-caption-text">15 Aug 2000: Tim Murtagh of England (second from right) is congratulated by team-mates after dismissing Nimesh Perera of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Mike Finn-Kelcey/ALLSPORT)</figcaption></figure>
This remained England’s first-ever victory in a full-fledged away Test series versus Sri Lanka and the only so far. Sri Lanka were always a team to beat in their den but England, who were amid a great run with three consecutive Test series victories, took the challenge even after getting thumped in the first match in Galle by an innings and 28 runs.
They had just beaten Pakistan in Pakistan in the previous series and were eager to repeat the show in yet another Asian country. England’s fast bowlers did well to restrict Sanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lanka for less than 300 in the second Test in Kandy and the visitors then took a crucial lead of 90 runs, thanks to a century by skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/former-england-skipper-nasser-hussain-speaks-up-on-australia-ball-tampering-incident/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nasser Hussain</a>. Sri Lanka then lost six wickets to neutralise the lead but for Kumar Sangakkara (95) who refused to give up.
They gave England a tricky target of 161 in the fourth innings and just when the visitors started making a mess of it by getting reduced to 89 for 4 and then 97 for 5, it was left to the lower order plus Graeme Hick to take them home and they did it successfully with three wickets to spare. This win suddenly made England a different side altogether and they fought hard in a low-scoring third Test in Colombo to win it by 4 wickets to secure a historic win.
The spinners along with a gritty Graham Thorpe competed with the Lankans ball by ball to win this game albeit narrowly while chasing just 74 in the fourth innings. This series also saw England winning a three-Test series after trailing for the first time since 1888.
<h3>5. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan 2-1 in 3-game series in Pakistan in 1995-96</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236872" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236872" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236872" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Aravinda-de-Silva.jpg" alt="Aravinda de Silva" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption-text">Aravinda De Silva. (Photo by Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
This was Sri Lanka’s first-ever away series against an Asian opponent and also only the second away series win since they started playing Tests in 1982. And it came in the most thrilling fashion for Arjuna Ranatunga’s men as they clinched the series despite losing the first game.
The first Test in Peshawar was a completely one-sided affair with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitter-roasts-rameez-raja-questioning-ms-dhonis-grade-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rameez Raja</a>’s home team winning it by an innings and 40 runs after forcing a follow-on over the Lankans. But Ranatunga’s squad was fast to correct its course and came back strongly in Faisalabad, banking on magnificent centuries from Hasan Tillakaratne and Aravinda de Silva and a solid bowling performance from the bowlers led by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/muttiah-muralitharan-shares-bowling-tricks-yusuf-pathan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Muttiah Muralitharan</a> and Chaminda Vaas.
Sri Lanka conceded a first inning lead of 110 runs but came back strongly in the second innings by an undeterred batting performance from de Silva, Chandika Hathurusinghe and even from the lower order. Pakistan required 252 runs to win the series but were bowled out for 209 by the Vaas-Muralidharan-Kumara Dharmasena troika, losing the match by 42 runs.
It then went down to the third and deciding game in Sialkot. Sri Lanka fared ordinarily yet again, getting bowled out for 232 in their first innings by the Pakistani pacers sans <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wasim-akram-coaches-6-year-old-mystery-bowler/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wasim Akram</a> who missed this Test. But Sri Lankan bowlers more than made up for the batting disappointment by securing an 18 runs lead over Pakistan as the home team got all out for 214. Muralidharan took 4 wickets and was given a great support by de Silva, Dharmasena and Pramodya Wickremasinghe.
The visitors grabbed this chance and led by skipper Ranatunga (87), declared after posting a respectable 338 for the loss of 9 wickets, setting a target of 357 for the hosts. Pakistan had a disastrous beginning to the chase, losing 5 for just 15 with the two Lankan seamers running through their batting line-up. Wicketkeeper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/psl-2018-sarfraz-moin-khan-miffed-mir-hamza-not-running-2-off-last-ball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moin Khan</a> hit a valiant 117 not out but that was never going to be enough as the next highest score was the extras! Pakistan were scuttled out for 212 with Muralidharan not taking a single wicket, losing the match by 144 runs and gifting the Islanders their first-ever sensational series win in Tests.
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Winning a Test series after coming from behind always makes it an absorbing affair and out of 40 such instances where a team has won a series after trailing in the history of the game, we pick the top five.

5 Instances where teams came back from behind to win the Test series

South Africa won the fourth Test against Australia in Johannesburg by a massive 492-run margin to take the series 3-1. It wasn’t really a surprise that the