There’s something uniquely cruel about falling just one run short of a century in cricket.
Ask anyone who’s been there, and they’ll tell you: 99 doesn’t feel like a near-miss—it feels like a punch in the gut.
And on a grey, blustery day at Headingley, Harry Brook joined that exclusive and painful club.
A Familiar Pain for Atherton
In the press box above the Kirkstall Lane End, Stuart Broad chuckled when I mentioned I was off to find Michael Atherton—once dismissed on 99 himself—to get his thoughts.
“I’m sure he’d love to be reminded,” Broad joked.
Atherton, of course, knows the feeling too well. He’s been out on 99 twice in Test cricket.
Only he and MJK Smith hold that particularly unwanted record among England players. And today, he welcomed Brook into the fold with a knowing nod.
“You don’t remember the 99 you scored,” Atherton said quietly, “just the one you didn’t.”
Brook’s Brilliance Overshadowed by a Single Run
Brook had lit up the third day of the Test with a display of flair and controlled aggression.
His 11 boundaries and two towering sixes had reignited England’s chances.
He looked unbeatable—until he wasn’t.
Just before he could raise his bat for a memorable century at his home ground, he pulled a short ball from India’s Prasidh Krishna straight to Shardul Thakur at deep square leg. Out for 99. So close, and yet…
The look on Brook’s face said it all—confusion, disbelief, devastation.
He didn’t just miss a number; he missed a moment. And in cricket, those moments are everything.
The Curse of 99 Lives On
With that dismissal, Brook became the 81st man to be out for 99 in Test cricket, and the 14th Englishman to suffer the fate.
The last was Jonny Bairstow back in 2017. Globally, no one had been dismissed for 99 in three years—not since Travis Head for Australia.
It’s a strange psychological trap. A hundred is just one more than 99, but it changes everything.
Reach it, and the innings is immortal. Miss it by one, and it’s heartbreak.
Why 99 Hurts So Much
Cricket has a strange obsession with numbers. Superstitions, milestones, averages—it’s all baked into the sport’s DNA.
The number 99 has become a kind of cricketing villain. To get out on it doesn’t just sting—it almost feels like humiliation.
Opponents celebrate it with extra joy, perhaps sensing the psychological blow is heavier than most.
It’s not just a dismissal—it’s a denied dream.
Shane Warne and the Humour in Heartbreak
Even greats like Shane Warne didn’t escape the 99 curse.
When he was caught slogging Daniel Vettori at 99 in 2001, New Zealand’s Mark Richardson gave a theatrical bow, and Aussie teammates laughed behind locker doors. Warne never scored a Test hundred.
Sometimes, when the pain fades, players can smile at the absurdity.
But for Brook, the laughter will come later.
Brook’s Journey to 99 Wasn’t Smooth
It almost started far worse. On Saturday, Brook looked like he was out for a duck, only to be saved by a no-ball. He was dropped twice during the innings, too.
For a moment, it seemed like fate was on his side.
But on 99, the tables turned. One misjudged shot, one mistimed pull—and it was over.
The Walk of Shame, Cricket-Style
Brook’s slow, heavy walk back to the dressing room was heartbreaking.
He even dropped his bat along the way, as if his body couldn’t quite compute what had happened.
India’s keeper Rishabh Pant gave him a pat on the back.
Teammate Brydon Carse tried a consoling gesture. But Brook seemed not to notice either.
He was in his own world—the world of the dismissed-for-99 club.
History Repeats, Sometimes With a Smile
Way back in 1902, Clem Hill was the first to fall on 99 in a Test match.
He followed it up with scores of 98 and 97. Useful for the team, sure—but brutal for the psyche.
Maybe Brook will bounce back the same way.
He has the talent. He has the time. But for now, all that lingers is that one single, agonizing run.