Stats: Top 10 highest scores by No.11 batsmen in Test cricket

Who says the No.11 cannot bat? They aren’t in the team only for their bowling! Traditionally, perceived as weaklings and easy pushovers, this list is going to change your opinion about the durability of some, if not all of the batsmen. Some instances, nevertheless rare ones, have actually seen No.11 batsmen being successful in damage control and resurrecting their teams.

Barring Chris Martin, and perhaps S Sreesanth or Pommie Mbangwa, cricket has produced many unsung heroes who have impressed with their weaker suit, and have bailed their team out of impossible situations, in some cases. From Pakistan’s Mushtaq Ahmed to Australia’s Ashton Agar, the list is fraught with some extremely well-known names, as well as not so famous names that have been given a reason to remember.

Mushtaq Ahmed features at No.11 with his passive-aggressive 59 off 106 balls including 4 sixes. The other Asians to make it to this list are Wasim Bari, a wicket keeper but not really a batsman, and Zaheer Khan. Khan is at no.4 with his career best 75 from just 115 balls, en route a partnership with Sachin Tendulkar where he ended up with his highest Test score of 248*.

Glenn McGrath and James Anderson are both well known contemporary names on the list, both searing pacers. Anderson is appreciated for his efforts against India with an 118-ball 81 that makes him the latest addition at No.3, while McGrath finds himself in the lower half with an innings of 61 against New Zealand. Bert Vogler, the South African seamer is the oldest in the list, with his contribution of 62* coming in 1906, more than 110 years ago.

John Snow, another seamer dominating this list, lasted the longest at the crease, in terms of balls faced with his 149 ball 59* against West Indies in 1966 and finds himself at No.9. Not surprisingly, an allrounder, who in fact opens regularly for his state side, Ashton Agar tops the list with a smashing 98, off just 101 balls in the 2013 Ashes.

The following list elaborates their efforts. Trent Bridge seems to have a special connection with No.11 batsmen, with the highest score in ODIs by a No.11 also coming there (quite recently too, with Mohammad Amir smashing a 28-ball 58), along with Tests. Numbers spanning from 1906 to most recently, 2014 are included in this comprehensive list, elucidating the rarity of a defining performance with the bat by No.11s.

Here is the list of top 10 highest scores by No.11 batsmen in Test cricket: