Neil Fairbrother 83 off 159 Balls 198 Mins 10 Fours 1 Six vs India 2nd Test at Chennai, Feb 11 1993 (CT)

Mr. Devotor

Neil Fairbrother, England’s elegant left-hander, in his finest Test innings — 83 runs off 159 balls, featuring 10 fours and 1 six against India in the 2nd Test at Chennai, February 1993. This was his only Test fifty and his highest Test score.  Fairbrother, known for his quick running, clever placement, and graceful stroke play, was a key figure in England’s ODI setup during the 1990s. While his Test career was short, his 1992 World Cup heroics — a fighting 62 in the final against Pakistan — remain unforgettable.  Watch this video to enjoy his masterful batting and relive a golden chapter of vintage English cricket. 🏏✨  🏷️ Hashtags: #NeilFairbrother #EnglandCricket #VintageCricket #CricketClassics #TestCricket #Chennai1993 #EnglandVsIndia #CricketHistory #CricketHighlights #CricketLegends #OldCricketVideos #ClassicInnings

Transcript

00:00Neil Fairbrother, a stylish yet pretty left-hander, represented England in 10 Test matches between

00:061987 and 1993, scoring 219 runs at an average of 15.64, including one memorable half-century

00:16and four catches in the field. In this video, we relive his finest hour in Test cricket,

00:21his lovely 50, a composed and fighting knock of 83 runs of 159 balls, laced with 10 elegant forwards

00:29and a towering 6, played against India in the second Test match at Chennai on February 1993.

00:35It was his highest Test score and a display of determination and class against quality

00:40spin-balling. So let's revisit this vintage gem, Neil Fairbrother's fighting innings in Chennai,

00:46and relive a forgotten chapter of English Cricketing craze and grit.

00:59Two, Neil Fairbrother is at the crease, taking his mark. It really was a marvellous bit of fielding.

01:08So, Fairbrother survives the remaining ball of that over, England 166 for three.

01:16This is the man, Kravit Amre, who volunteered in Calcutta to stand at Shortleg for the first time

01:22in his life. He's been wearing that helmet quite a lot, both there and here in Madras.

01:28Well, the game really has changed.

01:31Common hallways in Test match, you need a lot of courage and you must stay down.

01:35Well, that hits Vinod Cambly very firmly on the legs at Scilly Point.

01:48And now, while he takes his time to get off the turf again, the England batsmen have heard the call of

01:54over. It's the end of the session. 73 runs and two wickets coming off 33 overs this afternoon,

02:00and Vinod Cambly in some trouble there. That was beautifully struck, very firmly struck by Neil Fairbrother.

02:07It was indeed firmly struck and I'll be surprised if we see him straight after T.

02:13I think he'll need some ice in the dressing room, because that's a fair old crack on the shin.

02:18A chance there, but off the pad. That's Werke Roman again at Scilly Point,

02:35safely taking what would have been a catch or could have been a catch from Neil Fairbrother,

02:38shaking his head.

02:39The gloves and the bats safely tucked away behind the front pad there.

02:52I'm not... the appealing that goes on, you know, obviously the fieldsmen close to the wicket do get

02:58excited. I would suggest though in this series that the fieldsmen on both sides are probably not

03:05appealing as much as what we've seen in previous tours. He's guided away, certainly one, possibly two,

03:13and Fairbrother coming back for the second as Raju picks the ball up just in front of the third man

03:17boundary. That's the end of the over and it's 179 for four. Still an absorbing contest here, although Fairbrother...

03:28Well, that's a rare sight. Fairbrother getting a full toss and swats it away for four.

03:44183 for six now.

03:46That's a better shot by Fairbrother. Down the wicket. Four runs. So, change of policy, do you think, Sunil?

04:05Yes, and why not? That's exactly the attitude that England must have up. There is nobody out in the deep.

04:11He's hitting with the spin. So, there's very little danger of him getting out caught.

04:20And this is terribly unlucky.

04:26Well, that's hauled away by Fairbrother again. Tendulka's after it. He can't get it.

04:32And so, Fairbrother has obviously decided the best form of defence for England now is to attack.

04:41And runs coming at a startling rate, especially when you consider the tempo since T.

04:53Well, India had to bowl 90 overs in the day.

04:58And this is the 91st, and we still have half an hour's cricket to go this evening. So, they've

05:03scuffled through their overs, the Indian spinners. I suppose it's only to be expected, and he's dropped him!

05:11I suppose it's over.

05:15The Barker at slip, got a hand to it.

05:21Fairbrother lives to fight another day.

05:25England are 197 for six. How did you see it, Sonny?

05:29Chauhan, tempting Fairbrother to drive. That was eminently catchable.

05:45Chauhan, meantime, to Fairbrother. And Fairbrother really is cutting loose. That's a lovely four. And that is,

05:51it gives Fairbrother his highest score in test cricket, beating the 33 knot out he made against New Zealand in 1990 at Lords.

06:01Yeah, I was telling you, but as an England supporter, this is what they want to see. Neil Fairbrother is usually a busy player.

06:08Plays his shots, always on the move. Usually the scoreboard's sticking around if he's batting.

06:14It's really difficult.

06:14Oh, that's a good stroke. That's gone away for four runs. Sidhu is chasing it. He won't get it. That was a lovely shot by Fairbrother.

06:24Cumblay over-pitching on this occasion. But beautifully plays. Everything in the ideal position. Head right over the ball.

06:40No great effort in the shot. Just the timing that took it away, speeding across the outfield.

06:4844, Fairbrother has now.

06:54More runs here. Four more runs, I think. Nice little tickle down the leg side. The ball racing over this lightning pass outfield to the boundary.

07:15And again, Cumblay just straying from his normal line and length.

07:19Just a little bit of turn. Just flicked off his hips by Neil Fairbrother.

07:24So Fairbrother now two runs short of what will be his first test match 50.

07:33Quite a moment for him.

07:34And there it is. A slashing drive. It was uppish. It was a little bit edgy, but it was away to the left of backward point for another four.

07:47That's Fairbrother's 50.

07:49Well, he's played very well, Neil Fairbrother. It was very slow at the start of his innings yesterday.

07:55It took a long time. It was very watchful.

07:58Now that he's been there for some time. He's very much getting the hang of playing against these Indian spinners.

08:04And Cumblay here going for three fours off the over.

08:07Well, in the air, past the field though. And that's safe enough.

08:12Raju to Fairbrother.

08:15Oh, and that's a fine stroke coming down the ground. That's going for six, I think.

08:18Yes, it's gone over the long on boundary for six. That was a fine shot.

08:27Need we say more? This is the sort of treatment that Raju is most unused to in the context of this series.

08:32That's a beautifully controlled, lofty drive from Neil Fairbrother.

08:37Admirably executed. Get the head down.

08:41That's swung away. Two bounces, four runs. That won't make Chowen very pleased.

08:51Well, he might not be through with it, Chowen, but I can tell him there's a lot of bowlers suffered from Neil Fairbrother.

08:57He's a very difficult customer to bowl at if he gets in.

09:03I think he's one of the most difficult players in world cricket. You just don't know where to put your fielders.

09:14That's cut away again and Fairbrother's up into the 80s.

09:21Rousing stuff by Neil Fairbrother. Successive fours.

09:27All sorts of beckoning going on by the umpires.

09:31Oh, the drinks trolley was nosing its way onto the ground. It's been sent back.

09:36Still another six or seven minutes before that.

09:41England are 277 for eight.

09:47Soft hands, but it was still a brilliant catch.

09:57Oh, and he's gone.

10:17Neil Fairbrother is out.

10:19A little bit of turn there from Rajas Chauhan and Kapil Dev would slip.

10:24Look for a moment as though he's going to fumble the chance.

10:27But that's the wicket India so desperately wanted.

10:29And Neil Fairbrother was trying to guide that ball.

10:35The wicket is gone.

10:38For 279.

10:40Neil Fairbrother out for 83.

10:45279 for nine it is.

10:48Neil Fairbrother compact in stature but brimming with resolve.

10:53He was known for his quick running, deft placement and uncanny ability to turn ones into twos.

10:59He built a formidable reputation as England's most reliable middle-order best man in one-day

11:05international through the 1990s. With scientific precision, he pairs the gaps,

11:10work the ball behind square and occasionally lofted with finances over the infield.

11:15Always accomplished by his trademark frantic running between the wickets.

11:20Yet despite his immense one-day prowess, his test carrier never flourished as expected.

11:25His bottom-handed tactic and vulnerability outside of stum often proving his undoing.

11:31Nevertheless, Fairbrother's name remains asht in England's one-day history,

11:36particularly for his heroic 62 of 70 balls in the 1992 World Cup final at the MCG against Pakistan,

11:44where he top-scored and nearly steered England to a famous victory.

11:48If you like this video, please comment, share and subscribe. Thank you very much.

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