Denis'saints'Freak said:Well done Hayds!
But fair dinkum Lara would have to be a bit peeved that his record was broken against such a poor bowling attack.
The record book should read as follows
M.E Hayden 380*
B. Lara 375
(* scored against Zimbabwe)
mj said:Hayden's opposition may not have been world beating but Lara scored his against England on a flat track at the end of the series,the only interest was Lara's score and bugger the result.
Original_Chook said:mj said:Hayden's opposition may not have been world beating but Lara scored his against England on a flat track at the end of the series,the only interest was Lara's score and bugger the result.
My argument is that all English grounds are smaller than the WACA Ground in Perth.
That is precisely why not batsman, not even Bradman, had thusfar gone anywhere near the 375 mark on Australian soil. Cowper's 300 odd on the MCG must have been a phenominal performance because the MCG is not small.
But you'll notice that most, if not all of Hayden's 6s were scored down the ground - that is a very long hit, bigger than the MCG in my estimation - and the majority of his fours were similar.
The ground does run quickly, and the bowlers were ordinary at times, but 380 is a manifestation of intense concentration, skill and placement. Most of his shots wouldn't have been cut off on slower outfields anyway, and the fact he provided only two chances in the innings - (the first one was dropped after he had made it into the 300s, the 2nd was a very good catch to dismiss him), says a great deal about what sort of an innings it was.
Full credit to him - even my favourite cricketer Steve Waugh couldn't produce a monumental innings like that.
But finally: Full Credit to Adam Gilchrist. He managed to share the strike, and yet still score a run-a-ball century, and contribute towards a huge total - with little or no credit. A great innings from Gilchrist
looks like another boring summer of aussie cricket
Original_Chook said:looks like another boring summer of aussie cricket
I disagree. This will be the most competitive summer in a few seasons. Australia, without their two strike bowlers (McGrath and Warne) and without their next best (Gillespie and MacGill) facing a heavily-depleted Zimbabwe - yet what happens after that series?
They go to India - some very competitive one-dayers over there, then they launch into four Test matches that promise to be close. India's batting is very good, and finally they have bowlers willing to stand up and take big wickets. Zaheer Khan, Harbijan Singh, etc - they're all young guys ready to provide for competitive cricket.
Australia will be in a lot of trouble if they face India without Gillespie and MacGill - they're already coping with the loss of McGrath and Warne.
Make no mistake - this season will be competitive, particularly the Test Matches - India are in great form, and it will mean Australia will have to be ready for them. This won't be easy - rest assured.