Wisden 100 tables

Graham Thorpe's gut-busting 113 not out at Colombo in 2000-01 is, according to the Wisden 100, the highest-rated innings in England and Sri Lanka's nine-Test history. Thorpe, whose job was not complete until he had inched England to victory with an unbeaten 32 in the second innings, takes the top spot ahead of Marvan Atapattu's unbeaten double-century at Galle, in the first Test of that same series.

Two rollickingly carefree innings follow at Nos. 3 and 4 – Sanath Jayasuriya's bruising 213 at The Oval in 1998, and Graham Gooch's all-too-easy 174 at Lord's in 1991. Gooch seemed somewhat demob-happy after a tough 2-2 draw with Viv Richards' West Indians, and even improvised with a few left-handed shots as England built themselves an indomitable position.

As for the bowling ... well, there are no prizes for guessing which performance tops the charts.

Muttiah Muralitharan's command performances at The Oval in 1998 – in which he took 16 wickets in Sri Lanka's ten-wicket victory – come in at No.1 and No.3 on the bowling list, sandwiching Phil DeFreitas' 7 for 70 in 1991. John Emburey, who sealed victory for England in the inaugural match at Colombo with a rare five-for, pops up at No.4, with Ian Botham completing the top five with a sterling effort on a batsman's wicket in 1984.

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