Lara's triple century

[Donny]

Lara stands on the brink of greatness

The Wisden Bulletin by Freddie Auld

Brian Lara completely and utterly dominated the second day of the final Test in Antigua. He eased to his second-highest Test score of 313 not out, and became only the second player to score two triple-centuries, as the batsmen racked up the runs against a tired and toothless England attack. West Indies had cruised to 595 for 5 at the close with Lara 68 runs away from the world-record individual score. And at this point, you wouldn't bet against him reclaiming his title from Matthew Hayden.

Resuming on 86 not out, Lara piled on the runs – and the agony – for England. He slowly wore the bowlers down, adding 232 with Ramnaresh Sarwan at the start, and then 126 with the ever-dependable Ridley Jacobs towards the close. Now this England team have some idea of what it was like here 10 years ago when Lara romped to his then record 375. Back then there were all sorts of celebrations, and they'll have to start thinking of some more for tomorrow if Lara reclaims batting's promised land.

It was a mammoth effort from Lara. Not just time-wise – over 10 hours in all -, but just when the Caribbean needed something special from him to restore their faith. He was back to his best, scoring over half his side's runs. His timing and placement was almost perfect, and the majority of his 23 fours and three sixes were worth every penny to watch – even for the England fans who paid the levy.

But it wasn't all about power, his running between the wickets was another feature, as was his instinctive feet movement. He scored allround the wicket to every part of – and three times out of – the ground. He was a man on a mission; determined, decisive and destined to make a huge score.

It was another grinding day for England's bowlers, who again struggled to make an impression on the flat pitch, which continued to hold no demons. Lara, in particular, helped himself to anything off line and he set the tone of the day from the very first ball, spanking Matthew Hoggard through the covers. The shots kept on coming, as he elegantly and effortlessly glided the ball between the fielders. It was as if he could pick the gaps at will and off every delivery.

Lara raced to his hundred within 20 minutes of the start, and he didn't hang about all day, passing his 150 in no time. He took a liking to Gareth Batty in particular, dancing down the track and cracking him through the offside for the shot of the morning. And that was just the start. As he strode into the 190s, he brought up his double in style. He slammed Batty's opening ball of his afternoon spell for the first six of his innings, straight down the ground and way over the stand into the carpark. The next delivery was swept for four to take him to 199, and then the single did the job. He jumped for joy and punched the air as if he was letting out all that frustration and pressure of the past month. And you got the feeling there was still plenty to come.

Indeed, the milestones kept on coming. After a bad patch by his standards, playing and missing a few times, he regained his control and composure to notch up his 250. Again it was Batty on the receiving end. Lara belted him down the ground for four, and next ball slapped him through the covers for the 250. This time, though, there were no celebrations. You could tell he wanted more – much more.

Next all eyes were on the 300, and after an edgy period in what was a tetchy 290s, he nudged Batty into the offside to start the party – again. The whole of St John's were on their feet, cheering a living legend of the game, and Lara was punching the air for their third time in the day. Just for good measure, he launched Michael Vaughan out the ground in the final over of the day.

The only real close call he had was when he was nearly run out on 127 from a Hoggard direct hit. And that was the only way England were going to get him out. They did manage three wickets today, though, which gave them some relief from their lashings of Lara.

Sarwan was happy to play second fiddle early on. He took the opportunity to play himself back into some sort of form on the flat track and dead ball. He notched up his half-century with a cracking cover-drive off Hoggard, and later clipped Batty over midwicket for four, and over long-on for six the next ball. But just when he had a fifth Test century for the taking, Stephen Harmison provided some relief for England with the new ball. Sarwan jabbed at a rising ball outside off and edged it to Marcus Trescothick at first slip for 90 (330 for 3).

The wicket slowed things down, as Ricardo Powell took time to settle himself in what is only his second Test. He had a touch of fortune early on with some streaky shots, but he ran out of luck when he tried to pull a short ball from Harmison well outside offstump, but skied it to Nasser Hussain at third man for 23 (380 for 4).Lara wasn't impressed, but he found a more reliable ally in Ryan Hinds, who played sensibly for his 36. There was something for Batty to smile about, though. He picked up his second caught-and-bowled of the innings when Hinds miscued an ondrive and chipped the ball back (469 for 5).

Jacobs stuck around for a handy 47 not out, and rubbed salt into the bowler's wounds with a few of his bruising blows. There was no chance of the short ball bothering him on this pitch, whose docile nature Vaughan must have been cursing all day – and a heck of a long day at that. He had to endure 105 overs of torture, using seven bowlers in all, including himself and Trescothick. He wasn't helped by the fact that Hoggard missed the last two sessions feeling unwell. Again, England didn't bowl that badly, but they just came up against someone too good. It was Lara's day, but tomorrow could be his best.

[couragous cloke]

wow!! i stayed up all night and watched every run of lara's 313


Lara: I'm Looking beyond 380

Sunday, April 11 @ 19:32:30 EDT


RYAN PATRICK reports from Antigua
West Indies captain Brian Lara is making no bones about his intention to reclaim Test cricket's individual batting throne.

"We want to bat until lunch tomorrow. If it (the record) is in sight, I'll go for it. I think I mentioned at the beginning of the series that I want to be the first person to score 500 runs," Lara said with a smile just moments after joining the great Donald Bradman as the only batsman to reach the 300 mark twice. "So, I'm looking beyond 380, if that's possible."



Lara was the singular story on the second day. Taking full advantage of a track that made fast bowlers weep, he scored runs at will, ending the day on 313 not out (426 balls, 34 fours, 3 sixes) and setting the stage for many a sick day call-in throughout the Caribbean Monday.
He started the day on 86 not out and partnered with Ronnie Sarwan in the pre-lunch session to grind the England bowlers into the dust. The two added 232 before Sarwan jabbed at the new ball in Steve Harmison's hand and gave Trescothick an easy slip catch.

Resuming his Test career four years after his debut, Ricardo Powell never looked the part. On a track that reeks of runs, Powell was too aerial and streaky in his 53-ball 23 which ended with a skied pull that he top-edged to Hussain at third man.

All this time, Lara was marching along. He pulled with autority; used his feet to drive at the spinners; cut anything that was short into the gaps and even danced into part-timer Michael Vaughn to launch a ball over Simon Crosskill in the commentary booth and into the parking lot across the street.

In between Ryan Hinds seemed to be enjoying a nice little innings. The left-handed Hinds, one of the more level-headed cricketers in the region, reached 36 before he mishit an ondrive bat to Batty.

With Hinds' dismissal the Antigua crowd rose to welcome local boy Ridley Jacobs, who did not disappoint. With Lara, Jacobs played a few cracking shots on his way to an unbeaten 47. Lara and Jacobs has so far put on 126.

At the press conference afterward, Lara made it clear the partnership with Jacobs is still an important one. "You have to remember we're into the tail after myself and Jacobs. Hopefully we can stay out there for that length of time and look at a total in the range of 700-750."

"We'll be looking to pile on the runs," Lara said, while acknowledging that the wicket was a gift to batsmen. "Today is not a situation where you're going to judge a batsman. It's very batsman friendly out there. But, we also have to remember that we're 3-0 down against England. That is what we're staring at right now."

Asked directly if he'll go to bed with Matthew Hayden's record on his mind, he said: "When Hayden broke the record, my reaction wasn't one of sadness. It was the catalyst for me to get my game together. Yes, it's there in the back of my mind. But, at the end of the day, it's West Indies cricket and one individual getting whatever amount of runs is not what West Indies needs right now."

"We need a team that's playing well. We need a team that's playing Test cricket at a very competitive level and we're not doing that right now."

He seemed a bit irked when a journalist asked about the omission of Shiv Chanderpaul from the Test side. "It's well documented what the story is with Chanderpaul...It's time to move on."

"We've got a one day series coming up and the selectors will be meeting to pick that side. I don't know what has happened since Barbados but I'm sure he'll (Chanderpaul) be considered as long as the board and selectors think he has done what is necessary."

For now, Lara was content to deal with tonight's dreams. Dreams of reclaiming that throne.

TRIPLE CENTURIES IN TEST CRICKET

Brian Lara (WI) - 2
Don Bradman (Aus) - 2
Hanif Mohammad (Pak) - 1
A Sandham (Eng) - 1
Len Hutton (Eng) - 1
Graham Gooch (Eng) - 1
Virender Sehwag (Ind) - 1
Wally Hammond (Eng) - 1
Robert Simpson (Aus) - 1
Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) - 1
Lawrence Rowe (WI) - 1
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak) - 1
Gary Sobers (WI) - 1
Robert Cowper (Aus) - 1
Mark Taylor (Aus) - 1
Matthew Hayden (Aus) - 1
John Edrich (Eng) - 1

NOTE: Both Lara and Bradman have scored their triple centuries at the same venue and against the same opponents.

[Donny]

Hayden backs Lara for record

By Jim Morton - Fox


MATTHEW Hayden is unfazed about the prospect of losing his world record after only six months, expecting Brian Lara to eclipse his Test-high 380 tonight.

Hayden today wished the West Indies skipper well on his quest to become the first man to break 400 in Test cricket.

Lara was 313 not out at stumps on day two in the fourth Test against England at St John's, Antigua where his side is 5-595 and looking to pile on a huge first-innings total.

Amazingly it is the same ground on which Lara hit his previous world record 375 against England, almost 10 years ago to the day.

Hayden surpassed that score by five runs last October against Zimbabwe at Perth's WACA ground.

The big Queenslander tonight admitted he expected Lara to reciprocate and was preparing to return a favour by having a second congratulatory phone conversation in six months.

"I had had no expectation of breaking the record and it was a tremendous honour," he said.

"I was incredibly impressed with the effort he (Lara) made when I did break the record. He said: 'Well done, I'm glad it went to an Australian'.

"I know it's unusual time frames but it would be great to be able to return that favour and give him a call and say 'well done'."

While Lara said he had made it a goal to reclaim the individual innings record, Hayden was not about to make a similar declaration.

"There's absolutely no chance of me thinking like that, I'm thinking about having a rest," he said.

"My priority is towards the team and winning a game of cricket and making sure the team comes before any personal honour."

Although Lara held the mark for 10 years and Garfield Sobers (365 not out) 36 years before that, Hayden's six-month stint would not be the shortest if Lara scores another 68 runs on the third day of the St John's Test.

Englishman Andy Sandham scored 325 against the West Indies in Kingston in April 1930, only three months before Don Bradman passed his mark with 334 against England.

Lara, who holds the highest first class score of 501 not out for Warwickshire, joined Bradman as the only man to score two Test triple centuries when he brought up his 300 off 406 balls with 34 boundaries and two sixes.

"It (the world record) will be in my mind and it's there for the taking," he said. "I want to bat until lunch and if it's there I'll go for it.

[London Dave]

390 at lunch, and he's going on til at least 400. nice effort by the keeper too, the 4 byes he let thru last ball before lunch were the first byes conceded, though some may say the ball hasn't got past the bat that much!

[commonwombat]

A much welcome good news item for cricket with all this other shit going down at the moment.

[Blanch]

400 is a top effort. The concentration required for each ball of 400 runs has to be congratulated. He hasn't be my favourite batsman but you have to take your hat off to him.

[labrooy]

What a magnificent effort. The guy is absolutely amazing. Can spend three tests looking very ordinary and then this. What would he have been if he could have been consistent?

[lones37]

Top Effort By Lara, much maligned cricketer sometimes whos attitude is also questionable. When he gets the frame of mind of right he is simply one of the greats. Good to see the record scored against a decent bowling attack, and that is nothing against Hayden.