At the highest level of sport, a difference between the winner and the one who succumbs to defeat could be a mere .001th of a second or a solitary run. These are the moments where even a small mistake could result in a loss. Every risk has to be thought of carefully but the subsequent decision has to be taken in a matter of seconds. The moments where athletes seem to be residing in a far away place of suffering, pushing each other to the limit before one comes out on top.
THE GRITTY XI
XI of a kind: England's unsung heroics
Sir. Jack Hobbs starred in England's revival acts several times © Getty
In the 141-year history of England cricket, too, we have seen numerous instances of batsmen who walked the tightrope, carefully measured every risk and stretched every nerve to pull off jailbreaks and take their team home. With England set to play their 1000th Test against India next month, we look at 11 instances where England batsmen wore pain and showed character to pilot their side to memorable victories.
In cricket, generally, more importance is given to those who crack the three-figure mark. On the other hand, even if a batsman has essayed a knock of significance before losing his wicket for 99, it perhaps doesn't carry the same value. So in this edition of XIs, we look at sub-100 scores by England cricketers that played a key role in the side's wins.