IAN Healy isn’t short of memorable moments. You wouldn’t expect a man who spent 119 Tests standing behind the stumps to the likes of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath to not have a story, or two.

“I’d be able to pick five dismissals from Warnie alone,” Healy told foxsports.com.au.

Ashes series in England handed the Fox Cricket commentator some of his greatest playing memories. His 1993 dismissal of Graham Thorpe at Edgbaston still ranks as his favourite stumping.

But three other occasions still stand out to Healy — for good and bad reasons — almost 20 years after his retirement.

MISSED STUMPING V PAKISTAN IN KARACHI, 1994
Healy made his Test debut in Karachi in 1988, but his return six years later spoiled his memories of the venue.

Australia hadn’t won a series in Pakistan since 1959, but was in the driver’s seat in the first Test needing just one wicket for victory.

But tailenders Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed turned in a gritty 53-run partnership to bring Pakistan within three runs of a one-wicket victory.

That was when Healy suffered one of his darkest on-field moments.

“I missed a stumping to lose a Test match in Pakistan, which ended up being the last ball of the match,” he said.

“They were nine down, three to win, and I missed four byes which was a stumping from Warnie’s bowling.”

Inzamam charged down the wicket to Warne, failing to play through the leg-side as the ball travelled between bat and pad.

Healy was briefly unsighted and failed to take the stumping as the ball fizzed through his legs and away for four byes to give Pakistan the win.

“That’s as bad as it gets,” Healy added.

“Steve Waugh was about to take a dressing room photo before I glared at him, and [I] was about to put his camera somewhere, and he just sat back down.”

The remaining two Tests were drawn, leaving Pakistan with a 1-0 series win.

BALL OF THE CENTURY AT OLD TRAFFORD, 1993
Shane Warne’s ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting has been replayed countless times over the past quarter of a century. Just one viewing is never enough.

But no matter how many times it’s replayed, no one will ever be able to match the view Healy had on that Manchester day.

But instead of an unplayable delivery that ripped a seemingly impossible distance out of the turf, Healy remembered the ball slightly differently.

“I reckon it just did enough of everything and Mike Gatting did enough wrong of everything,” Healy said.

“We’d seen Warnie bowl much bigger swingers and spinners in the recent New Zealand tour, and that’s when he had to drift the ball into leg stump, or just outside leg stump, so that he could bring the batsman into play.

“This one swung in beautifully, but not as much as it had at times, and then spun back just enough to clip the off-stump.”

Healy said Gatting “spectated” the delivery and demonstrated poor footwork to not move forward and smother the delivery.

He added: “And then his bat was just a bit slow and it just missed it.

“I always call it ‘a ball of just enough’, it was just perfect.”

LAST DAY HEROICS V ENGLAND AT HEADINGLEY, 1989
Allan Border’s Australia travelled to England for the 1989 Ashes having not held the urn in six years.

The visitors started the series at Headingley in a determined fashion, piling on 831 runs across two declared innings. But the Test looked destined for a draw, as England made it to lunch on the final day having only lost one wicket, Healy remembered.

A fired-up Australia was determined to not let the result slide, however, resulting in a devastating session after lunch.

“The six wickets we got in a session in 1989 — a long time ago — after lunch at Headingley to [help] regain the Ashes. That’s a very special moment,” Healy said.

“The way those wickets tumbled and left ourselves only three in the last session to get.

“We were just so happy, it was like a party that we weren’t going to lose. I don’t think we entertained winning and then we got six wickets!

“That was a special feeling. So long ago and yet it feels so vivid,” Healy added. Two of the wickets (David Gower and Jack Russell) were caught behind by Healy, including a one-handed grab down leg-side.

The victory set Australia up for a memorable 4-0 series win — and an era of dominance over England.

Australia didn’t relinquish the urn again until 2005.