5 Weirdest declarations in the history of Test cricket

Cricket is one of the most popular sports all around the world and with the advent of T20 cricket, it has reached newer countries in the recent past. Although the fans love T20 cricket, one cannot deny the fact that Test cricket is the best format of the sport. The reason behind it is that in T20 cricket, a player can become a hero just by playing two-three good shots or bowling a few good deliveries.

On the other hand, Test cricket requires a player to maintain his fitness and showcase his talent on all 5 days before a team emerges as the winner. The real fans of cricket enjoy Test cricket more and one of the most interesting rules of the longest format is that a team can declare its innings whenever it wishes to. Over the years, we have seen captains play tactical masterstrokes by declaring their innings at the right time.

However, at the same time, there have been certain occasions where a decision to declare the innings left the cricket universe scratching its heads.

Here is a look at the 5 weirdest declarations in Test cricket history:

1. South Africa vs England, 5th Test, 2000

At the start of the century, England toured South Africa to play a Test series. The hosts had already taken a 2-0 lead in the series heading into the final Test in Centurion. There were predictions for heavy rainfall at the venue and even then, the organizers did not alter the schedule and continued the tour as per the original plans.

South Africa batted first and ended Day 1 at 155/6 and not even a single delivery was bowled during the next three days owing to rain. Thus, the team management of the two teams came to a mutual agreement.

Hansie Cronje’s team ended its innings at 248/8. England declared its first innings at 0/0 and even South Africa did the same thing in their second innings. Hence, England got a target of 249 runs to win the match. Half-centuries from Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart helped England win the match by 2 wickets. Vaughan was adjudged the Man of the Match.