nervous nineties

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Noun

nervous nineties pl (plural only)

1. (cricket) The set of individual scores between 90 and 99, when a batsman may play badly due to feeling pressure to convert the score into a century.
   • 2011, Michael Vaughan, Year In The Sun:

     I have never found anything particularly significant in the term nervous nineties for I firmly believe that a batsman should treat every ball on its merits, be his score 9 or 90.

   • 2013, Chris Barrett, “Shane Watson belts brutal century as George Bailey sets record against James Anderson”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

     Watson nearly fell again in the nervous nineties when Bresnan took an overhead catch at long off when the all-rounder was on 90 but the fieldsman tumbled over the rope and a six was declared.