A victory in cricket having followed on is practically unheard of. The few occasions when this is achieved are rightly classed as the game's greatest comebacks
Ask most English cricket fans about great cricketing comebacks and many will point to the Headingley test against Australia in 1981 when England came back to win the game having followed on. Inspired by heroics with the bat from Ian Botham and a Herculean bowling effort in the final innings from Bob Willis, England snatched victory after bookmakers had at one point in the match offered odds of 500-1 against a win.
The bookmakers view was understandable - a win after the follow on is practically impossible and in test cricket has happened only once each century. The 1981 effort has only been matched by an earlier England side in the1894-95 series in Australia, when an Australian first innings of 586 was eventually overturned as England scraped to victory by 10 runs and by India, who came from behind to defeat Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001 having followed on.
Arguably the greatest first-class comeback of all time occurred in English county cricket in 1922 during a County Championship match between Hampshire and Warwickshire. The Warwickshire side batted first, scoring a steady 223 and then went on to skittle Hampshire for an astonishing 15 in only eight overs. Hampshire then followed on and at one point were reduced to six wickets down for 177 – still behind Warwickshire’s first innings total. A fine effort by the middle order and tail steadied the ship however and Hampshire managed to finish on 521 all out. All that was then required was a decent bowling effort and Hampshire produced as such, bowling Warwickshire out for 158 and claiming victory by 155 runs.
Warwickshire suffered again at the hands of a famous Lancashire turnaround at Southport in 1982. Batting first, Warwickshire notched up an impressive 523 for 4 declared, with an innings including a record 4th wicket stand of 470 by Alvin Kallicharran and Geoff Humpage. Nonetheless, Warwickshire still conspired to lose the game by an emphatic ten wickets. Even worse, Lancashire batsmen Graham Fowler recorded a century in each innings whilst batting with a runner.
For the greatest comeback of all time however, it is hard to beat the match played between Bushey and Watford Grammar School in 1959. Bushey, the home side were bowled out for 30 without a single player reaching double figures. No doubt Watford Grammar would have been confident of victory and none more so than when their opening batsmen had moved the score onto 24-0. Bushey though somehow managed to turn the game on its head from this point, bowling their opponents out for only a further 5 runs to claim victory by a single run. Bowler Robin Leach took 7 for 3 in five overs and finished with figures of 7 for 10. A lowly school game this fixture may have been, but it is hard to imagine a more emphatic turnaround in fortunes.
