Dean Elgar and the curse of 199 in Test cricket

Dean Elgar of South Africa cricket team, who had gone past his previous highest Test score of 140, looked set for a double century in the first Test vs Bangladesh cricket team till an attempted pull shot against Shafiul Islam looped off a top edge to short midwicket and he got out at 199

There is nothing more disappointing in cricket than to be dismissed or left stranded on the verge of a milestone -- 199 in a Test match arguably the most painful. (SA vs BAN 1st Test, Day 1 live updates and scorecard)

South Africa cricket team batsman Dean Elgar (R) reacts as Bangladesh cricket team’s bowler Mustafizur Rahman celebrates his dismissal during the second day of the first Test on Friday (AFP)

In the ongoing South Africa vs Bangladesh Test match at Potchefstroom, Dean Elgar came agonisingly close to his maiden double century, falling just one run short as he was dismissed for 199 on Friday.

The left-handed Elgar, who had gone past his previous highest Test score of 140, looked set for a double century till an attempted pull shot against Shafiul Islam looped off a top edge to short midwicket. Elgar, meanwhile, became the first South African batsman, and 12th overall, to be dismissed for a score of 199.

On the bright side, Elgar’s career-best 199 was the anchor for South Africa to pile on the runs after being given the opportunity by Mushfiqur Rahim to bat first on a placid pitch in Potchefstroom.

Here’s a list of players who have ended up with a score of 199 in a Test innings:

Player – Opposition – Ground – Years

Mudassar Nazar – India – Faisalabad – 1984

Mohammad Azharuddin – Sri Lanka – Kanpur – 1986

Matthew Elliott – England – Leeds – 1997

Sanath Jayasuriya – India – Colombo (SSC) – 1997

Steve Waugh – West Indies – Bridgetown – 1999

Andy Flower – South Africa – Harare – 2001

Younis Khan – India – Lahore – 2006

Ian Bell – South Africa – Lord’s – 2008

Kumar Sangakkara – Pakistan – Galle – 2012

Steve Smith – West Indies – Kingston – 2015

KL Rahul – England – Chennai – 2016

Dean Elgar – Bangladesh – Potchefstroom – 2017

*Stats Updated Till September 29, 2017*