Let’s rewind to October 1997 at Sheikhupura, where South Africa faced Pakistan in the 2nd Test. In tough subcontinental conditions, one man stood tall—Adam Bacher. The right-hander played the innings of his life, scoring a brilliant 96 runs off 191 balls in 236 minutes, smashing 12 crisp boundaries and 1 solid six.
He was just 4 runs short of what would have been his maiden Test century. Sadly, it was not to be. That knock of 96 remained his highest score in Test cricket. Despite playing 19 Tests in his career, he never managed to reach the magical three-figure mark.
What made this innings truly special was how he handled Pakistan’s spin duo—Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. On turning tracks in the subcontinent, facing these two wasn’t a walk in the park. But Bacher stood firm, showed great technique, and played them with confidence and class.
So, was he unlucky to miss out on a century? Did he deserve those extra 4 runs? Watch the video and relive the moment. Then tell us what you think—was he really out? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
He was just 4 runs short of what would have been his maiden Test century. Sadly, it was not to be. That knock of 96 remained his highest score in Test cricket. Despite playing 19 Tests in his career, he never managed to reach the magical three-figure mark.
What made this innings truly special was how he handled Pakistan’s spin duo—Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. On turning tracks in the subcontinent, facing these two wasn’t a walk in the park. But Bacher stood firm, showed great technique, and played them with confidence and class.
So, was he unlucky to miss out on a century? Did he deserve those extra 4 runs? Watch the video and relive the moment. Then tell us what you think—was he really out? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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00:00Let's rewind the clock to October 1997 at Shekhopora, where South African faced Pakistan
00:07in the second test.
00:08In tough subcontinental condition, one man stood tall, Adam Bakker.
00:12The right-handed played the innings of his life, scoring a brilliant 96 runs of 191 balls
00:19in 236 minutes, smashing 12 crisp boundaries and one solid six.
00:24He was just four runs short of what could have been his median test century.
00:28Sadly, it was not to be.
00:30That knock of 96 remained his highest test score in test cricket.
00:34Despite playing 19 tests in his career, he never managed to reach the magical three-figure
00:39mark.
00:40What made his innings truly special was how he handled Pakistan's spin duo Mushtaq Ahmad
00:45and Siklian Mushtaq.
00:47On turning tracks in the subcontinent, facing these two was not a walk in the park.
00:52But Adam Bakker stood firm, showed great technique and played them with confidence and class.
00:57So was he unlucky to miss out on a century?
01:00Did he deserve those extra four runs?
01:03Watch the video and relive the moment.
01:05Then tell us what do you think, was he really out?
01:08Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
01:13Azar plays and it's going to be Bowles and it's going to be four runs off the bat of Adam Bakker down
01:20to the vacant third man area.
01:23First runs of the innings.
01:25Well, it's given him four runs but I don't think it entirely went where he wanted.
01:30I think Mahmood won't be too displeased with seeing Bakker play this shot away from his
01:36body.
01:37The bat gets a long way away from his body and that's why he can't control it.
01:40It went in the air through about second gully.
01:43They are three slips and then the gap to the gully went between them and there it is again.
01:51No ball called this time but once more it's down to third man through the gap between third
01:58slip and gully and it's four more.
02:00Yeah, I think we'll see an alteration here, maybe two gullies and two slips.
02:04Not quite enough pace to get the fine edge, more the thicker edge which will go towards
02:09fourth slip or gully.
02:10That's the no ball call.
02:13But it's the shot that Mahmood will be more interested in like me.
02:18Oh, that's very well bowled but runs here for Bakker off the thick outside edge.
02:26But in fact it will be a boundary and it's a pretty quick outfield, so a boundary to
02:34end the over.
02:3531 for no loss, South Africa.
02:36Yeah.
02:37Oh.
02:38Oh.
02:39Oh.
02:40Oh.
02:41Oh.
02:42Oh.
02:43Oh.
02:44Oh.
02:45Oh.
02:46Oh.
02:47Oh.
02:48Oh.
02:49Oh.
02:50Oh.
02:51Oh.
02:52Oh.
02:53Oh.
02:54Oh.
02:55Oh.
02:56That's put away nicely by Bakker.
02:58That's what they've got to do.
02:59They've got to be patient, wait for the loose one.
03:02And when it was there on that occasion, Bakker made no mistake.
03:07That's the golden rule, isn't it, at this level.
03:09Lots of people round the bats and really accurate bowling, but as soon as the loose ball comes,
03:14capitalize.
03:15And Adam Bakker did just that.
03:19Little short, little wide, turning away, plenty of room.
03:24Four.
03:25Four.
03:26Yeah.
03:27Well, that's a good stroke.
03:28Four runs.
03:29Mustac gave it a bit of air.
03:30He came down the wicket and paid it out of the middle, more or less out of the middle
03:36of the bat.
03:37Yes, I like the idea from Mustac to toss it up a little bit, but it's wide.
03:44You see, it's way, way out there.
03:47It frees the batsman's arms and get his arms out.
03:50You need width on these slow pitches.
03:53I always feel as a batsman, if you bowl at me wicket to wicket, you make it harder for
03:57me to score.
03:58Bowled.
03:59That's the Googler there.
04:00I don't think he read that one.
04:01No, he didn't.
04:02He was feeling for it.
04:03He was back.
04:04He's looking, he's looking.
04:05He shall, I shan't.
04:06Where do I play at it?
04:07You know, that's beat him on the inside comfortably.
04:08But it's so slow.
04:09You can use your pad as your second line of defense.
04:10It's difficult to get out on these.
04:11That's another fine stroke.
04:12Down the pitch, getting to the half volley and really hitting the ball.
04:16A beautiful arm drive.
04:17Four more.
04:18And that is the 50 partnership.
04:21And no mistake, that's his third arm drive.
04:24He's looking, he's looking, he's looking.
04:26He's looking, he's looking.
04:27He's looking.
04:28He's looking.
04:29He's looking.
04:30He's looking.
04:31He's looking.
04:32Where do I play at it?
04:33You know, that's beat him on the inside comfortably.
04:36But it's so slow.
04:37You can use your pad as your second line of defense.
04:39It's difficult to get out on these.
04:40That's his third four of the over.
04:42It was a little bit short.
04:43And wham, four more.
04:45End of the over, 57 for no wicket.
04:48Using his feet.
04:49That's a handsome stroke.
04:50And that's taking him to his 50.
04:51That really was a fine shot.
04:53Coming down the pitch.
04:54To Sack Lane.
04:55And cover driving for three excellent runs.
04:5651.
04:57out of 77 for no wicket.
04:5851 out of 77 for no wicket.
05:14A fine shot coming down the pitch to Sack Lane and cover driving for three excellent runs.
05:2251 out of 77 for no wicket.
05:27Well, that was a very nice innings, actually.
05:30Well put together for a young man who was, I think if he was honest, and I think he is,
05:35would say he wasn't altogether sure of Mushtaq's deliveries, but he stuck it out.
05:40He worked at it, he realised how quickly the pitch was slow and played a lot of pull shots.
05:47Used his feet nicely here and did a couple of other times to Mushtaq.
05:52Yeah, I thought it was a very nicely constructed 50.
05:56For no wicket at T.
06:00Backer has 56 of them and Kirsten has 22.
06:04And how well these two South Africans complemented one another.
06:08There you see the figure in brackets on the right, the number of balls they faced.
06:14Backer had 10 more than Kirsten, 89 to 79.
06:19So when we got a start, which was some time after, I think the ground was fit,
06:24but the groundsman was reluctant to let play start and perhaps was not put under enough pressure, who knows.
06:30And, but when play did start, we've had a most entertaining 27 overs cricket.
06:3889 for no wicket, the South African score.
06:41They prospered reasonably against Wazim Akram, good to see him back.
06:46And Azar Mahmood at the start, none for five, Wazim in six overs, just as though he'd never been away.
06:54And then the spinners, Mushtaq, none for 25 in six.
06:58Saklin, none for 22 in six.
07:00And Ali Rizvi, none for eight in two.
07:04So there we are at T on the second day.
07:07South Africa, who won the toss, 89 for no wicket.
07:12Well, he gets this one just over the head of Mid-On.
07:18It's going to be four runs, but there were shouts of catch it, as I don't know that he quite got hold of it.
07:23There he goes through with the shot again, which is an indication that he didn't hit it as well as he hoped to.
07:29Yes, again, a good, bold shot from Adam Barker, not getting completely to the pitch of the ball,
07:37and just been very lucky in there not to get caught at Mid-On.
07:43But again, his aggressiveness is helping him, his batting, and South Africans get on to a good total.
07:5196 for no loss.
07:59And Adam Barker, all defense at the moment.
08:27And I think he realizes that it's not too far away before the batsman will be offered the light,
08:32whether the spinners are operating or not.
08:34And there's no reason to take any chances at this stage.
08:40Rather start again tomorrow, and in good light, go to your 100.
08:45Maiden over, 1.54 for two.
08:47Oh, this is going to be four runs, but lucky runs.
09:11Again, there was a big turn there for Mushtak, the leg spinner.
09:16And he just dabbed at it with a bat, and it flew between the wicketkeeper and the slip.
09:23Well, again, slip is quite wide.
09:25We saw yesterday, Masi Makram couldn't get hold of one because it's quite wide.
09:30And the slip today is very wide.
09:32Over the head of mid-on, and it will be four runs.
09:40So Adam Barker has decided, like he did yesterday, he's not going to be tied down,
09:47which he has been a little bit this morning.
09:48All the South African batsmen have, and he's down the wicket there.
09:52He wasn't quite to the pitch of it.
09:54We saw that yesterday when he just cleared mid-on as well.
09:57But he got it over the head of Syed Anwar, and it's four runs.
10:07Now he drives through the covers.
10:09I don't know that it's got enough on it to go to the boundary.
10:12Mushtak is after it.
10:14Bad knees and all.
10:15They'll be able to get three.
10:16Well, it might actually help Jumbacca to look to be positive.
10:25It was a nice offside shot, because it's quite obvious that he's a bit nervous and worried.
10:30He's not played particularly well this morning.
10:32The bowlers have got on top of him.
10:34Look, he's streaky.
10:35Two or three shots, one over mid-on and one pass slip.
10:38And yesterday he was very positive, and he was successful with it.
10:42But a good positive innings, wonderful bowling from Mushtak, whichever which way you look at it.
10:50Bacca out for 96, 12 fours and 1 six.
10:56So Jaunty Rhodes comes out to the middle.
10:58The fall of Adam Bacca's wicket.
11:00Adam Bacca dismissed for 96.
11:03Very unfortunate.
11:04I think he'll be disappointed at being given out here,
11:07because when you see from the front on camera,
11:09I think you can see some daylight between bat and the ball.
11:12Now take a look.
11:18I think very unlucky to be given out.
11:22The bat must have hit the boot, and that's where the noise came from.
11:30Well, that's missed the bat clearly.
11:34Adam Bacca, a right-handed batsman and the nephew of former South African player Ali Bacca,
11:40was known for his attacking batting style, especially in limited-overs matches.
11:45He first caught attention when he toured Sri Lanka in 95-96, with South Africa under-24 team.
11:52Soon after, he made his test debut in the following season.
11:56Though he struggled at the start, he bounced back with a brilliant 96 runs against Australia
12:01in Centurion.
12:02During the 97-98 tour of Pakistan, he once again played well, scoring two 50s,
12:08including another solid 96 at Shekhopura, which remained his highest test score in test cricket.
12:14He showed good form on the Australian tour, but things changed when he had a disappointing series in England.
12:20Later, he failed to perform against the West Indies and Zimbabwe, which pushed him out of the national team.
12:27After being away for almost seven years, he made a surprise return in an ODI series against England in 2004-05,
12:34thanks to his strong domestic form.
12:36But unfortunately, he could not take advantage of the opportunity.
12:40He played a poor shot and was dropped again.
12:43In test cricket, Adam Becker played 19 matches, scoring 833 runs at an average of 26.03.
12:51He never scored a century in test, but made five half centuries, with his highest score being 96, which he reached twice.
12:59In first-class cricket, Adam Becker had a strong and consistent career.
13:03He played 112 matches, scoring 7,283 runs at an impressive average of 38.33.
13:10He scored 18 centuries and 33 fifties, showing his class and reliability at the domestic level.
13:18His highest score in first-class cricket was 210, and he also took 99 catches in the field.
13:24He is best remembered for a spectacular catch he took while fielding deep to remove Sachin Tundalkar in the 97 Test Series against India.
13:33He had the talent and potential to be a solid opening bestman, but unluckily, he could not prove himself in the test match.
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