In this test match that lasted only 66 minutes, the physicists had to cut dozens of rounds in the field to heal the injuries inflicted on the batsmen’s body.
Can any pitch be fatal? Can a test be finished in just 66 minutes and 62 balls? Can a ball match the bones of a batsman rather than a bat? If we talk about today’s day 22 years ago, the answer to all these questions will be yes. The year was 1998, the pitch was Jamaica. And the teams participating in this historic dangerous match were West Indies vs England. However, this was not the first time that a match was dreaded due to a poor pitch, nor was it the last. But what happened in this match on 29 January 1998 is rarely seen. Being a part of this interesting story is also no less fortunate. Know how
Actually, England captain Mike Earthton won the toss and decided to bat first in this match. Now to open, Earth had to come down and the wicketkeeper batsman Elk Stewart also landed. But the real battle had to start by reaching the pitch. While Kurtli Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were paired with a ball in their hands. And when the batsmen started falling on the pitch, it was as if the batsmen were ready to leave the field. The reason was that the balls coming at a stormy pace were eager to break bones, with an uneven pitch.
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Batsmen’s body filled with wounds
The match was between West Indies and England, but it also had a connection with India. When the terror of the bowlers and the pain of the batsmen became unbearable, West Indies umpire Steve Buckner and Indian umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan made the bold decision to end the match. And by the time the umpires had intercepted 62 bone-breaking balls, the bodies of other batsmen, including Earthton and Stewart, were filled with wounds, blood clots were seen in many places. On these 62 balls, England scored 17 runs after losing 3 wickets. And during this, the physio had to come inside the field dozens of times and check the batsmen.
Among the batsmen who were dismissed were Arthur, Mark Butcher and Nasir Hussain. Graham Thorpe remained unbeaten with opener Stewart. Another interesting incident happened during this time. When Nasir Hussain arrived to bat on the pitch after Mark Butcher was dismissed, fellow batsman Elk Stewart told him, “It’s Saturday, it’s eight o’clock.” This is a lottery. Luckily the number of this lottery went to England and the umpire decided to cancel the match.
