Only 36 times have a total in excess of 300 been chased down in 2586 Tests (four times in excess of 400). Four of them have arrived at Leeds, where India have set England a target of 371, making it the most fertile ground in the world when chasing a score over 300.
The highest score hunted down here is 404, which came as far back in 1948, when Australia overhauled the aforementioned runs with the loss of only three wickets, in only 114 overs and with centuries from Arthur Morris and Donald Bradman. It stood as a record until 2003 when West Indies surmounted Australia in Antigua in 2003.
In recent vintage, England beat Australia by a one-wicket thriller in 2019, courtesy Ben Stokes’s miraculous 135 not out and his epic last-wicket stand of 76 with last man Jack Leach, whose contribution was a single run off 17 balls. Less nail-chewing were the victories of West Indies in 2017 (by five wickets) and England in 2001 (six wickets, thanks to another individual act of heroism by Mark Butcher). England also hunted down 296 to beat New Zealand by seven wickets in 2022. In the previous Test here, England scored 251 for the loss of seven wickets against Australia.
There are more damning signs for Indian bowlers. Since 2000, Headingley has the joint-highest average for runs scored per wicket in the fourth innings of a Test match of any ground in the UK at 33.09 (equal to The Oval).
If first innings in Headingley has been an ordeal for batting, the pitch flattens out as the game progresses and by the last innings, it generally becomes benign to bat, making steep scores possible. Subsequently, teams batting first have won only thrice in 11 games since 2010. The targets set were 450, 350 and 468 in those instances where teams have defended fourth-innings targets.
Before the final day, former England opener Mark Butcher observed that batting would not be a cruise on the decisive day. “There’s a track outside off with plenty of cracks, it could lead to shooters. It’s a new-ball pitch, balls misbehaved till the 50th over. Effects of the heavy roller nipped that late yesterday. From the Football Stand end, there’ll be Jadeja to Duckett and Stokes with a big plate of rough. There are patches outside off for right handers too but they’re a touch wide,” he said on air. His colleague Stuart Broad warned about the difficulties if floodlights were put on a gloomy morning.
But after the wicketless first session, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett putting on 117 runs, the most by an opening pair in fourth innings on this ground, England emitted strong signs that they could etch another masterly chase in the Leeds folklore. Few stages have produced more drama than Headingley either.
