Stats: List of captains stranded on 99 in Test cricket

Pakistan Test skipper Misbah Ul Haq entered an unwanted list of record books when he was left stranded on 99 against West Indies in the first Test at Sabina Park. It is always unfortunate to end on 99 after having played so well. Being a run away from all important Test ton can be heart-wrenching for any player. When Misbah was left stranded on 99 in the recent fixture, it became only the 13th instance in the history of the game when a captain was stranded on 99.

Unluckily for Misbah Ul Haq, this was not the first time that he found himself in that false position. Back in the year 2011, he was dismissed on 99 during the Wellington Test against New Zealand. He remains to be the only captain to have been dismissed on 99 in Test cricket. Between the two 99s from Misbah Ul Haq, only one other captain was dismissed for the unwanted score.

Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni was dismissed on 99 in the Nagpur Test during England tour of India in 2012. The other Indian captain to feature in the list is Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly was also dismissed on 99 against the same opposition, England, way back in the historic India’s tour to England in 2002. Misbah Ul Haq, being the most recent one to get the accolade, is the third Pakistani captain to get stranded at the score.

Prior to Misbah, Majid Khan had to make the long walk back against England at Karachi in 1973. Almost two decades later, Saleem Malik faced the agony against South Africa in the 1995 Test at Johannesburg. The first Test captain to have been dismissed on 99 was NWD Yardley of England, who bagged the score in the match against South Africa in 1947.

Out of the 13 such instances, only two captains have been unlucky to be stranded on 99. Apart from Misbah, South Africa’s Shaun Pollock is the only other batsman to be unbeaten on 99 in a Test game. Pollock’s effort came against Sri Lanka at Centurion in 2002.