The No. 11 batsman, is usually the batsman who is considered to have the least batting ability in the team. In most cases, No. 11 batsmen are the most typical tailenders. Such batsmen scoring significant runs, is a unique occurrence. We will now have a look at the highest scores by a No. 11 batsman of a test innings.
10. Mushtaq Ahmed (1997)
South Africa toured Pakistan for a three-match series. In the first game, Pakistan batted first. They lost their ninth wicket at 305. The No. 11 batsman, Mushtaq Ahmed, walked in, and he stayed long enough with the batsman Azhar Mahmood, who ended with a century. Ahmed also ended up scoring a half-century of his own. Mushtaq Ahmed scored 59 runs in this innings.
9. John Snow (1966)
England hosted West Indies for a five-match series. Coming into the fifth test, England had already lost the series, conceding a lead of 3-0 to West Indies. England bowled first and conceded 268. England, in response to this, was at 399-9. From there on, the No. 10 batsman Ken Higgs and the No. 11 batsman John Snow, had a 128-run partnership, with each reaching their respective half-centuries. From there, England eventually won the match by an innings and 34 runs. John Snow scored 59 not out in this innings.
8. Wasim Bari (1977)
Pakistan toured West Indies for a five-match series. In the first game, Pakistan batted first. During the third innings of the match, Pakistan had lost nine wickets, with the lead being just 172. The lead being too small, they needed a miracle in the tenth wicket partnership to set a significant target. The batsmen Wasim Raja and Wasim Bari, then stitched up a 133-run partnership, and nearly won the game eventually. West Indies escaped a draw by a single wicket. Wasim Bari scored 60 not out in this innings.
7. Glenn McGrath (2004)
This game was the first test in the New Zealand tour of Australia. New Zealand batted first and scored 353. Australia, during their batting, scored 585, thanks to a 114-run partnership for the tenth wicket by Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath. Glenn McGrath scored 61 runs in this innings.
6. Bert Vogler (1906)
This game was the fifth test in the England tour of South Africa. England batted first and scored 187. South Africa, during their batting, scored 333, thanks to a 94-run partnership for the tenth wicket by Percy Sherwell and Bert Vogler. Bert Vogler scored 62 not out in this innings.
5. Richard Collinge (1973)
This game was the third test in the Pakistan tour of New Zealand. Pakistan batted first and scored 402. New Zealand, during their batting, also scored 402, thanks to a 151-run partnership for the tenth wicket by Brian Hastings and Richard Collinge. Richard Collinge scored 68 not out in this innings.
4. Zaheer Khan (2004)
This game is widely known for being the game in which Sachin Tendulkar scored his highest test score of 248 not out. However, one thing that goes unnoticed is that, the same innings also contains the highest score by an Indian No. 11 batsman. India toured Bangladesh for a Test series, and in this match, Bangladesh batted first. During Indian batting, after the fall of the ninth wicket, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan had a 133-run partnership, in which the chief contributor was Zaheer Khan. Zaheer Khan scored 75 runs in this innings.
3. James Anderson (2014)
India toured England for a five-match series. In the first game, India batted first and scored 457. England, in response to that, was 298-9, after which James Anderson suddenly started scoring well. England had a 198-run partnership for the final wicket. James Anderson scored 81 runs in this innings.
2. Tino Best (2012)
This game was the third test in the West Indies tour of England. West Indies batted first and were at 283-9. In the end, they scored 426, thanks to a 143-run partnership for the tenth wicket by Denesh Ramdin and Tino Best. Tino Best scored 95 runs in this innings.
1. Ashton Agar (2013)
This game was the first test of the 2013 Ashes in England. Australian spinner Ashton Agar made his test debut. England batted first and scored 215. However, Australia was left reeling at 117-9. From here on, though, Phil Hughes and the debutant Agar, stitched an unlikely partnership of 163 runs, and ensured Australia got a 65-run lead. Ashton Agar scored 98 runs in this innings.
