The most painful thing for any batter in cricket is getting dismissed on 99, which is known as the unluckiest number in the sport. Fans feel disappointed for the cricketers who fall just one run short of a century. Scoring a three-figure score is a dream for cricketers, and they work very hard to achieve it.

Dismissed on 99：The Cruelest Number in Cricket

Often, you’ve probably noticed that once a batter reaches the 90s, they tend to play it safe and can be dismissed because of nerves. Most of the time, batters are devastated after getting out on 99. Recently, we saw such a moment during the inaugural Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where England’s Harry Brook entered the unwanted dismissed record in cricket, departing for 99 in the 1st innings at Headingley, where England eventually went on to win by 5 wickets on the final hour of the 5th day.

How Harry Brook Got Dismissed on 99?

Harry Brook, who was recently named England’s permanent white-ball captain, reached this milestone on the third day of the first Test, after being dismissed for zero runs at the end of the second day. He was caught at short mid-wicket by Mohammed Siraj off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling, which was later called a no-ball. Brook then seized the opportunity to put more pressure on India by scoring freely, despite being dropped twice earlier.

A 12th Test 50 in just 26 matches for England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Well batted, Harry 👏

🤝 @IGcom pic.twitter.com/XLg2xWfkY0

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 22, 2025

While batting on 99 in the 88th over, Harry Brook pulled a well-placed short delivery from Prasidh Krishna straight into the hands of Shardul Thakur at fine leg. Brook was deeply disappointed and couldn’t believe what he had done. His innings, filled with 11 fours and 2 sixes, had already helped England narrow India’s total of 471. He became the third batter after Saleem Malik and Michael Atherton to get out on 99 at Headingley, and the second Englishman after Marcus Trescothick (2001) to fall just short of one of 100 against India.

Oh, Harry Brook 😭

An incredible knock ends just short of 100 🙈 pic.twitter.com/gQwZg6NdS4

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 22, 2025

Harry Brook isn’t the only batter to be dismissed at 99; many players have unfortunately recorded this unwanted feat. Here’s the list that includes those dismissed at both 99 and 199 in Test matches since 2000.

List of Batters Who Is Dismissed on 99 (Test Cricket)

Sourav Ganguly – 99 vs England, 2022 (Nottingham)

On the fifth and final day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, India needed someone to hang in longer to survive, and captain Sourav Ganguly stepped up, ensuring India didn’t lose. Trailing by 260 runs in the second innings, India responded well, scoring 424 for 8 before declaring.

With more than 70 overs remaining in the day, Ganguly joined the in-form Dravid at 174 for 3, building a steady partnership and adding 136 runs for the fourth wicket. Ganguly was scoring easily with good pull shots and firm drives, but in the 95th over, his well-paced innings of 99 came to an end when he was bowled by Steven Harmison. After his dismissal, India played another 20 overs to secure the draw.

KL Rahul – 199 vs England, 2016 (Chennai)

In the fifth and final Test of the Anthony de Mello Trophy, KL Rahul made headlines for an unwanted dismissed record in cricket when he scored 199, just one run short of his first double century in the longest format. On the final session of the third day, the Karnataka batter lost control over a shot, chasing a wide full-length delivery from Adil Rashid, and chipped it straight to Jos Buttler at point.

As soon as he got out, Rahul was visibly heartbroken and couldn’t believe what had happened. His innings included 16 fours and 3 sixes. Meanwhile, his teammate Karun Nair scored a magnificent 303 not out, and India declared at 759 for 7 in response to England’s 477 in the first innings. Ultimately, Virat Kohli’s team won the match by an innings and 75 runs, completing a 4-0 series sweep.

Final Words

It doesn’t feel good for a batter to have a dismissed record in cricket for a score of 99, as achieving a 3-figure mark is the biggest dream. To avoid getting dismissed on 99, batters should prioritize the team’s needs over personal milestones.

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