One of the most depressing things a batter can face is getting out once he/she crosses the 90-run mark in an innings. It is more heartbreaking if they end up getting out on 99 or remain unbeaten on 99 and not reach their well-deserved 3-figure mark.
There have been many instances of batters getting out on 99, and it is mostly out of anxiety and pressure of the approaching milestone. In cricket, there is a term called nervous nineties, and it was coined for this very purpose.
Here, in this article, we’ll look at the list of batters who have been dismissed on 99 the most times across formats.
Key Insights
110: This is the number of different batters to have been dismissed when batting on 99 in international cricket. This is irrespective of format.
Out of 110, there are 16 batters who got out on this unfortunate score twice in international cricket. And only 1, i.e., India’s Sachin Tendulkar, has gotten out on 99 three times.
There are 29 other instances of batters remaining not out on 99 in international cricket, but none has done it more than once.
In all, there are 720 male cricketers who have either gotten out or remained unbeaten in scores between 90 and 99. And Sachin Tendulkar leads the pack with 28 times, followed by AB de Villiers, Kane Williamson, and Rahul Dravid, who have been in these numbers 14 times.
Batters Dismissed on 99 Three Times in International Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar – India
Amidst all of his innumerable records, Sachin Tendulkar also has this dubious distinction of getting out most times when on 99. All of his 3 dismissals on 99 came in the ODI format and the same year.
The first was a run-out against South Africa in Belfast, while the other 2 instances came all in the space of a few months against England and Australia in Bristol and Mohali, respectively.
Also Read | List: Sachin Tendulkar’s 90 to 99 Scores (All Formats)
Batters Dismissed on 99 Twice in International Cricket
Michael Atherton – England
The former England skipper was dismissed twice on 99, and both of them came in the Test format. While the first one was at Lord’s in 1994, where he was run out against Australia, the second one came a year later against South Africa in Leeds.
Greg Blewett – Australia
Like Atherton, both of Greg Blewett’s dismissals on 99 came in the Test format. In 1999, he lost his wicket twice while on this nervous score, first against the West Indies in Adelaide and then against New Zealand in Hobart.
Geoffrey Boycott – England
The English legend couldn’t reach 100, even after being on 99 three times. While he was stranded once on 99 in a Test match in Perth in 1979, Boycott got out on 99 twice — once in a Test in Port of Spain in 1974 and the other in an ODI game at the Oval against Australia in 1980.
AB de Villiers – South Africa
AB de Villiers is the second player on this list who has been dismissed on 99 once each in Tests and ODIs. While Sri Lanka was the first to dismiss the dangerous batter in Tests in Centurion, de Villiers repeated this unfortunate scenario in an ODI game against the UAE in Wellington in 2015.
Stephen Fleming – New Zealand
The former Kiwi skipper is another player who has been dismissed on 99, once each in Tests and ODIs. The first instance came in a Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein in 2000, and the next came in a 50-over international played at the Oval in 2004 against England.
Sourav Ganguly – India
The former Indian skipper was dismissed twice on 99, both of which came in the Test format. While the first was in a home Test in Nagpur in 1997, the second and last came in the form of a bowled dismissal against England in Nottingham in the 2002 series.
Alex Hales – England
This is the first instance on the list that we have a batter who has been dismissed on 99 in T20 Internationals, and former England opener Alex Hales is the man. In 2012, he was out on 99 against the West Indies in Nottingham in a T20I, and 4 years later, he was dismissed on the same number in an ODI game against South Africa.
Matthew Hayden – Australia
The Australian opener, Hayden, was another batter who unfortunately got out on the 99-run mark twice, and on both occasions, it was against India. While the first one was in an ODI in Bengaluru in 2001, the second was in a Test match at Brisbane 2 years later.
Sanath Jayasuriya – Sri Lanka
Another legendary name in cricketing circles, Sanath Jayasuriya, had also been out on 99s a couple of times in his illustrious career. Both of them came in ODI cricket against India (2001 in Colombo) and Australia (2003 in Adelaide). Jayasuriya is also one of the batters who have been dismissed on a score of 199 once in the Test format.
Simon Katich – Australia
Simon Katich joins his former teammate Hayden in this list of players with more than 1 dismissal while being on 99. Both times it came in a Test match, first in Nagpur against India in 2004 and the other in Perth against the West Indies 5 years later.
Misbah ul Haq – Pakistan
Just like Boycott, the former Pakistani skipper Misbah had been on the score of 99 three times while getting dismissed twice. All three occurrences came in Test matches.
The first came in a Test in Wellington, New Zealand, back in 2011 and the other 2 in the same series against the West Indies in 2017. While he was left stranded on 99 without being out in Kingston, luck didn’t favour him in the next Test in Bridgetown, where he got dismissed on 99.
Richie Richardson – West Indies
Another batter who was on 99 thrice and yet couldn’t score his century on all 3 occasions. Richie Richardson, the prolific batter, remained not out in a successful chase in an ODI game at Sharjah against Pakistan in 1985 but unfortunately succumbed to pressure the other 2 times in the Test format (1989 vs India in Port of Spain and 1991 vs Australia in Bridgetown).
Saleem Malik – Pakistan
The former Pakistani batter also lost his wicket twice on 99, both of which came in a Test match. The first came in Leeds against England in 1987, and the next came versus South Africa in Jo’burg 8 years later.
Mike Smith – England
A prolific scorer on the county circuit in England, Mike Smith could only make 3 centuries in his 50-Test match career. He could have finished with 5 tons had he not gotten out on 99 twice.
The first came in a game at Lord’s against South Africa in 1960, where he was caught, and then a year later in the form of a run out versus Pakistan in Lahore. But both times, his knocks helped England win.
John Wright – New Zealand
John Wright, who served as captain of the Kiwis’, also had to be on the receiving end of getting out on 99 twice. The first time he was caught out against Australia in Melbourne in 1987, and 5 years later, in Christchurch, he was stumped out against England.
In a nutshell,
Most times a player got out on 99 in Tests: 2 each by Michael Atherton, Greg Blewett, Sourav Ganguly, Simon Katich, Misbah ul Haq, Richie Richardson, Saleem Malik, Mike Smith, and John Wright
Most times a player got out on 99 in ODIs: 3 by Sachin Tendulkar and 2 by Sanath Jayasuriya
Most times a player got out on 99 in T20I: 1 each by Alex Hales, Hamid Shah (Denmark), and Abdul Waheed (Saudi Arabia)
