In cricket, the term “nervous nineties” describes the anxiety that can arise when a batter is nearing their century. We have often seen a player batting in the 90s getting desperate, leading to a lapse in his/her concentration, and ultimately losing the wicket before completing a century. This gives a feeling of being so near yet so far and undone by luck.
Some players have faced the challenge of the nervous nineties throughout their careers, getting out in this range more than others and making themselves synonymous with this unfortunate distinction. So in this article, we will list down the batters with the most number of dismissals in the 90s in Test cricket.
Most Dismissals in 90s in Test Cricket
| Player | Innings | Dismissals in 90s | Test 100s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 329 | 10 | 51 |
| Michael Slater (AUS) | 131 | 9 | 14 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 286 | 9 | 36 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 191 | 8 | 22 |
| Steve Waugh (AUS) | 260 | 8 | 32 |
| Rishabh Pant (IND) | 70 | 7 | 6 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 184 | 7 | 30 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 291 | 7 | 33 |
| Alvin Kalicharran (WI) | 109 | 7 | 12 |
| Rohan Kanhai (WI) | 137 | 6 | 15 |
Key Stats
10 – Three players, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, and Rahul Dravid, have 10 ninety-plus scores in their respective Test careers. While Sachin got out in the 90s on all 10 occasions, Waugh remained unbeaten twice, and Dravid once.
9 – Alongside Dravid, Michael Slater has also been dismissed nine times in the nineties. De Villiers and Steve Waugh follow these elite players with eight dismissals in scores between 90 and 100.
485 – The number of players to have been dismissed in the 90s at least once in their Test career, and 258 of them have gotten out in between the 90s and 100s exactly once.
30 – This is the number of batters to have gotten in the nineties 5 or more times in Test cricket.
India’s Rishabh Pant has played the fewest number of innings (67) to be dismissed in the nineties more than five times in Tests. The left-hander has been dismissed in the nervous nineties seven times.
