Nathan Astle, who turns 50 on September 15, was a solid batsman for New Zealand but his best knock came in the Christchurch Test in 2002 when he almost helped them chase down 550 against England.
Follow Us
When one searches Nathan Astle on YouTube, one prominent video comes up which has thousands of views. There is a montage of three sixes that a batsman hit. Each shot sounding like a bullet shot from a pistol. The sound reverberated around the Jade Stadium in Christchurch. Every six either went into the top tier or out of the stadium. It happened in a Test between New Zealand and England in 2002. Those three shots were only part of the grander knock that Nathan Astle was playing on that day in Christchurch.
For a very long time, Nathan Astle had a habit of hurting England. In the 1996 World Cup match in Ahmedabad, Astle blasted 101 and helped New Zealand beat England in the opening match to dent their campaign. Six years later, Astle had become a formidable batsman at the top for the Kiwis. On the occasion of his 50th birthday on September 15, it is worth remembering the knock that pushed the barriers of the impossible.
For England, the 2002 period was turbulent in their cricket history. They had lost the Natwest series final to India and the Tests were drawn 1-1. When they came to New Zealand, they had already lost the ODI series 3-2. The first Test, though, gave them hope. England was traditionally stronger than New Zealand in the longer format, but in 1999, they had lost a series at home to the Kiwis after 13 years.
On a pitch that was green which would help batting as the match progressed, New Zealand chose to bowl. England was already in trouble at 0/2 before Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan steadied the ship. Wickets kept tumbling but Hussain played a knock for the ages. His 106 on a seaming wicket was a masterclass but England could manage only 228.
However, boosted by Hussain’s knock, Matthew Hoggard proceeded to deliver a performance that redefined swing bowling. Hitting the right lengths and the right pace, Hoggard took 7/63 to skittle New Zealand out for 147. Had it not been for Craig McMillan’s 40, New Zealand would have been bowled out for an even lower score.
Armed with a lead of 81 runs, England threatened to squander the advantage as they were reduced to 106/5. Ian Butler and Chris Drum were bowling brilliantly but the match changed completely thanks to a superb partnership. Graham Thorpe, who was always looked up as the player to rescue England in tense situations, stepped up. He shared a brilliant 281-run stand with Andrew Flintoff. Both batsmen tore the New Zealand bowling to shreds, with the Kiwi attack weakened by the injury to Chris Cairns. Thorpe hit 28 fours and four sixes as he scored his maiden double hundred. Flintoff scored 137 as England ended on 468/6 declared. That left New Zealand needing an impossible target of 550 with two days to go.
Mark Richardson hit 76 and he was given good support by captain Stephen Fleming. Richardson hit 76 and Fleming contributed 48 but once they fell, the game seemed to be up. Astle had arrived at the crease when the score was 130/3. He got going with a couple of boundaries off Hoggard. But, the bowler responded with a couple of yorkers.
Astle took the attack to the England bowlers and notched up his fifty. It included 10 boundaries with shots down the ground and into the offside. His first six came off Hoggard and the crowd in Christchurch were enjoying a spectacle. He targeted the left-arm spin of Giles as he smashed a six. In the process, he went past 3000 Test runs. He pulled the short ball brilliantly and he got to his century when the fielder at long leg misfielded.
New Zealand had lost wickets and was staring down the barrel at 333/9. That was when Astle stunned the world with a blitz of power-hitting unlike any in the world.
With Cairns at the crease with an injury, Astle decided to launch a ferocious counterattack. He hit four boundaries in one over after the new ball was taken, all off Hoggard. The bowler continued to suffer, with Astle hitting him for a big six.
When he had crossed his hundred, he had played only three dot balls. Astle notched up his 150 with a four off Andrew Caddick. Then came a breath-taking assault that stunned even the commentators. Astle launched one six onto the roof, then a flat one over deep extra cover and another six that went out of the stadium. Astle was on the cusp of something special.
When he swept Giles for a boundary, Astle had become the first Kiwi batsman to hit a double ton against England. However, he was the proud owner of the fastest double ton in the history of Test cricket, coming off just 153 balls. The onslaught continued, with Astle’s 11th six bringing the target down to under 100. But, in the quest for further glory, Astle went after a wide ball from Hoggard to edge it to the keeper.
The relief on the England players was palpable. Astle had provided them a massive scare. Hussain, the skipper, made it a point to congratulate Astle. Commentators hailed this knock as one of the greatest for the ages.
England may have won the first Test by 99 runs. However, their tour would not end well. Clearly distracted by the death of Ben Hollioake in a car crash, the England players were in mourning. Aided by poor umpiring, New Zealand won the match by 78 runs to level the series in Auckland.
Astle became one of the best New Zealand openers in that era, especially in ODIs. But, a lack of motivation saw him drop out of the New Zealand team just before the 2007 World Cup. He would end up becoming a sprint car racer. Â The record for the fastest double ton was achieved at a time when Adam Gilchrist had first set it. During the Johannesburg Test in February 2002, he hit a double ton off 213 balls which was brutal.
As for the Jade stadium, it was permanently destroyed in the 2011 earthquake. The cricket matches are now held at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. However, the glory days of cricket at the Jade stadium were punctuated by the brilliance of Nathan Astle’s 222.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
