England’s dynamic batter Harry Brook suffered heartbreak at Headingley on Sunday as he became the first batter in three years to be dismissed while stranded on 99. The incident occurred on Day 3 of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test between England and India, adding another chapter to cricket’s long list of nervous-nineties stories. Brook, who had looked in imperious touch throughout his innings, was undone while attempting to pull a bouncer from India’s Prasidh Krishna. He mistimed the shot, and a sharp catch at long leg ended what could have been yet another statement century for the stylish right-hander. Brook’s misfortune marks the first such dismissal since Australia’s Travis Head was caught on 99 against the West Indies in Perth back in 2022. For England, it’s been an even longer wait as the last English batter dismissed on this dreaded score was Jonny Bairstow against South Africa in Manchester in 2017.
In England’s Test history, Brook’s dismissal is the 16th time an Englishman has fallen just one run short of a century. Interestingly, the only English batter to suffer the agony of getting out on 199 is the elegant former middle-order mainstay, Ian Bell.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? Against India, the last batter to perish on 99 before Brook was Australia’s Shaun Marsh, who fell heartbreakingly short in Melbourne back in 2014.Last eleven batters who got out on 99 or 199:
| Name | Team | Against |
|---|---|---|
| M Vijay (99) | India | Australia |
| SE Marsh (99) | Australia | India |
| SPD Smith (199) | Australia | West Indies |
| KL Rahul (199) | India | England |
| Misbah-ul-Haq (99) | Pakistan | West Indies |
| JM Bairstow (99) | England | South Africa |
| D Elgar (199) | South Africa | Bangladesh |
| Babar Azam (99) | Pakistan | Australia |
| F du Plessis (199) | South Africa | Sri Lanka |
| AD Mathews (199) | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| TM Head (99) | Australia | West Indies |
As for the match, England’s innings wrapped up at 465, giving India a slender six-run first-innings lead despite a sloppy fielding performance that saw multiple dropped chances off Bumrah’s bowling. By stumps on Day 3, India had reached 90/2 in their second innings, with KL Rahul unbeaten on a fluent 47 and skipper Shubman Gill on 6. The visitors now hold a 96-run lead heading into Day 4, with the game finely poised for a thrilling finish at Headingley.
