One short: five famous Aussie 99s

Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq earned an unwanted piece of history overnight, becoming the first man in Test cricket to post a score of 99 three times, and the first to do so in consecutive Tests.

Report & Highlights: Ali ton, Misbah's 99 power Pakistan 

Having been dismissed one short of a century against New Zealand in Wellington in 2011, Misbah was stranded on 99 not out against the West Indies in Kingston last week and last night was caught at second slip one run short of a century in Barbados.

There have been 90 instances of a batsman scoring 99 in a Test match, including 25 by Australians. Here we look back at some famous (or should that be infamous?) Aussie Test 99s from the past 25 years.

Mark Waugh v England, Lord's, 1993

Mark Waugh fell just one run short of completing a fairytale for any Australian batsman, a century in an Ashes Test at Lord's. The right-hander had every reason to feel hard done by as well after a ball from Phil Tufnell ricocheted off his pad and onto his stumps when he was on 99. Not only did Waugh miss the chance to get his name on the famous Lord’s honours board, Australia fell just short of another unique bit of history; had Waugh scored an extra run, he would have joined Mark Taylor (111), Michael Slater (152) and David Boon (164no) on three figures, which would have been the first instance of an Australian top four scoring centuries in the same Test innings. Thankfully for Waugh, he made amends eight years later when he posted 108 at Lord's on Australia's 2001 Ashes tour, belatedly getting his name on the honours board. That 1993 match also featured perhaps the unluckiest 99 in Test history; England's Mike Atherton was turning to complete his century before he slipped and fell mid-pitch, run out for 99.

Michael Slater v New Zealand, WACA Ground, 1993

No list about the nervous nineties would be complete without a mention of dashing Aussie opener Michael Slater. In addition to his 14 Test tons, the right-hander was dismissed nine times in the nineties, the first of which was a score of 99 against the Black Caps in Perth. With Australia racing along at 0-198 in their second innings, a second Test ton was there for the taking for Slater when NZ spinner Dipak Patel fired one down the leg side. Slater looked to whip it away for the single he needed, but only got a feather on it behind to wicketkeeper Tony Blain, who took a very sharp catch. The opener's reaction upon realising he'd fallen short summed it up, but he somewhat made amends when he hammered 168 just a few weeks later in Hobart.

Steve Waugh v England, WACA Ground, 1995

Not only did Mark Waugh join the 99 club, he played a major role his earning his twin brother membership as well. With Mark acting as a runner for injured No.11 Craig McDermott in the Perth Ashes Test of 1994-95, the twins negotiated 14 runs before Steve faced up to paceman Chris Lewis on 99. The elder brother dropped the ball at his feet and moved a few steps down the pitch before deciding against a quick single. Unfortunately, Mark was already halfway down the pitch and quickly had to stop, turn and attempt to make his ground at the non-striker's end. He launched a desperate dive but came up centimetres short, giving Steve the unfortunate honour of being just the second man and the only Australian to be stranded on 99 not out in a Test match. "Stephen wasn't happy," Mark told cricket.com.au in 2014. "I've not received a Christmas present since that run out."

Shane Warne v New Zealand, WACA Ground, 2001

One of the most lamentable Test 99s for Australian fans, an ill-timed slog-sweep and an unobservant umpire cost Shane Warne a maiden Test century in Perth in 2001. One run short of three figures and with only No.11 Glenn McGrath for company, Warne launched what he has since labelled a "filthy slog" at spinner Daniel Vettori and was caught on the boundary at deep mid-wicket. Making matters worse for the spin king was the fact that footage later showed Vettori had over-stepped, meaning Warne should have been able to jog through for his hundredth run. But it wasn't to be and Warne finished his career with an unwanted record; his 3154 Test runs are the most of anyone without a Test century, 1070 runs more than the next highest.

Shaun Marsh v India, MCG, 2014

Shaun Marsh looked set to race through the nineties and post his first Test ton on home soil when he hammered a six and a four in consecutive deliveries off Ravichandran Ashwin to move to 96 not out in the 2014 Boxing Day Test, the ball after Ashwin had spilled a sharp caught-and-bowled chance. But having moved to 99 at the start of an Umesh Yadav over, and with Australia eight wickets down, the left-hander played out five dot balls before pushing the final delivery of the over back down the ground and setting off for a quick single. But it was a fraught attempt at a run; Virat Kohli moved quickly at mid-off and threw the stumps down, with Marsh's desperate dive falling just short. The left-hander became the 16th man to be run out on 99 in Tests and the first Australian since Arthur Morris at the same venue in 1953. In fact, five of those 16 dismissals have come at the MCG, including Graham Gooch in almost identical fashion to Marsh in 1980.