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| Saturday, 18 October 2003 |
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Where will it all end? From the Press box by Sa'adi Thawfeeq Records they say are meant to be broken and Australian opener Matthew Hayden no doubt proved it in no uncertain terms. By scoring 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth. Hayden reached the summit of batting at the highest level of the game - Test cricket. Ever since Australian opener Charles Bannerman scored the first century in Test cricket in the first-ever Test match played against England at Melbourne in March 1877, the highest Test score in Test cricket has been broken on nine occasions. On his way to an inaugural world best score of 165 (retired hurt), Bannerman not only faced the first ball ever bowled in a Test, but also scored the first Test run, the first Test fifty and the first Test century. Whereas Bannerman's innings was chanceless, the man who improved on his record score, another Australian - the mustachioed wicket-keeper/batsman Billy Murdoch was dropped three times on his way to the first Test double-century. Captain of Australia when he made the score of 211 against England at the Oval in 1884, Murdoch later went onto play for the 'Old Enemy'. His record lasted for almost two decades, before it was taken away from him by an Englishman by the name of Reginald Foster, the only player to captain England at soccer and cricket. Popularly known as 'Tip' Foster, he made a magnificent 287 against Australia at Sydney in 1903-04 which is still today the highest score made in a Test debut. Foster owed much of that record to the peerless Wilfred Rhodes who partnered him in a last-wicket stand of 130. First triple century The first batsman to cross the triple century mark in Test cricket was opener Andy Sandham of England who scored 325 in ten hours against West Indies at Kingston in 1929-30 in what was referred to as the timeless Test. The Test began on April 3 and ended on April 12 when rain prevented any play on the last two days and forced a draw. England scored 849 all out. At 39 years, 273 days Sandham was the oldest batsman to hold the world record. The record didn't last very long because three months later, the great Don Bradman of Australia improved on it by nine runs by scoring 334 against England on his favourite Headingley grounds at Leeds in 1930. Bradman made 309 on the first day (a Test-best) and there were countless other Test records during that series. 'The Don' overshadowed every other batsmen of his generation including the domineering Walter Hammond, who managed to take the record from him. At the time Bradman was the youngest to hold the record at 21 years 319 days. On the way back from the 1932-33 Bodyline series in Australia, England stopped over in New Zealand where Hammond made a double century in the first Test and followed it up with a monumental 336 not out at Auckland. It was the fastest triple century in Test cricket scored in just 288 minutes and included 10 sixes, a record at the time. Hammond's record knock was not given much credit, because New Zealand were then regarded as second-class Test citizens and Bradman's 334 was still seen as the real target. One wonders how critics today will rate countries like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. It became quite evident when Bradman was there to shake Len Hutton's hand when he passed Hammond's record against Australia at the Oval in 1938. On a flat pitch Hutton batted for 13 hours 17 minutes (the longest innings by a record holder) to become the last right-hander to set the record. England went on to make 903-7 decl., the highest Test total until Sri Lanka surpassed it with 952-6 against India in 1997. Left hand dominance It was almost 20 years later that Hutton's record was threatened and subsequently broken when Pakistan legend Hanif Mohammad batted for 16 hours 10 minutes (the longest first-class innings) for 337 to save the first Test against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1957-58. Five weeks later in the same series, Garfield Sobers became the first left-hander to achieve the record scoring an undefeated 365 at Kingston. He emulated Bannerman and Foster by turning his first Test century into the highest Test score. Sobers scored his runs at a fast pace in contrast to Hutton, taking only 10 hours 14 minutes and was only 21 years 16 days old - easily the youngest to hold the record. He held it longer than anyone for 36 years and lost it to a batsman whom he regarded as his natural successor - Brian Lara. The West Indian left-hander made 375 against England at St. John's, Antigua in 1993-94 and at that time was three years older than Sobers. He batted a total 12 hours 46 minutes. The only time Lara's record ever looked like being threatened was when Sri Lanka's dashing left-handed opener Sanath Jayasuriya approached it with an innings of 340 against India in 1997. So after 73 years, the world record has been reclaimed by an Australian, Matthew Hayden who will turn 32 years on October 29. The powerfully built Queenslander took 10 hours 22 minutes to surpass Lara's record. He considers that feat as only the start and aims to break the record again. If ever he does that he will be rewriting the history books again as the only man to break his own record. |
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