Thanks to the top score of an unbeaten 400, Brian Lara still bosses the Test but how to ignore these truths?

Hayden broke Lara’s record of 375 runs in Antiga in 1994 scoring 380 runs for Australia against Zimbabwe in Perth. 6 months after Hayden’s record, Lara made this 400* (off 582 balls in 778 minutes) and re -recorded the top score record.

In 1998, Australia captain Mark Taylor (in the second Test against Pakistan in Peshawar) declared the innings similarly when he was equal to Bradman’s top score of 334 runs and did not cross Bradman’s score. Surprisingly, what Taylor did it was praised, while most did not support such decisions of Mulder. Why so? Actually, it is also believed that if one record in Test cricket is worth breaking, then it is Lara’s top score record. If you do post mortem of Lara’s 400* run, then some big fun and strange facts come out:

* Lara played 582 balls, batted about 7 sessions and played so long that he ended every hope of his team’s victory. So it only counts a great example of batting for records.

* He was a captain and after the defeat in the first three Tests of the four -Test series, this was a very good opportunity for some comforting victory. England had not won any Test series in the West Indies since 1967–68, but this time he fell 3–0 in the 12-day game itself.

* It would seem from his 400* that he was in great form then but the truth is that he kept battling during the series: A total of 500 runs at an average of 83 i.e. only 100 runs in 6 innings of the first 3 Tests and all three Tests lost their team. The West Indies were also dismissed for just 47 and 94 runs in two innings. Lara failed badly and for the first time, was dismissed for two consecutive times, the top score just 36 runs, Hermison was dismissed by three times and the rest of the bowlers.

* Antiga pitch is lifeless anyway and it is called batsmen pitch. In this way, the pitch did not make him difficult at all and at the cost of 20 wickets scored 1458 runs in the Test. England captain Michael Vaughan wrote about the recreation ground pitch in his book ‘Calling the Shots’:’ West Indies made a pitch that was just to stop our whitewash. Even if a ten -ton stemoller, he had run a thousand times on it, he would not have got anything. ‘

* Everything was found right for the record and then it was made. Even England bowlers were struggling with injuries: Number 1 plays Batty instead of Ashley Giles; Hoggard fell ill after 18 overs and stopped Steve Hormison from bowling due to running on the pitch (although Lara was then at 359).

* Luck was also with him. When the account was not opened, the ball from his drive off Hermison went to the wicketkeeper Garent Jones but the umpire did not give out. Gareth Batty recalls, ‘I was at the point and I am sure that Hermison’s ball was dismissed him.’ England’s wicketkeeper and slip also claimed that Lara was out at 0. The West Indies commentator Tony Cosier does not consider it nor did the Australian umpire derael Hair.

If Mulder had scored 34 more runs that day, it would not affect South Africa’s expectation to win the Test as it was a matter of the second day of the Test, while Lara had been batting till the third day. In front of the Mulder was the team of Zimbabwe whose attack is of very simple status. Even then the Mulder paid more attention to giving full time to his bowlers to take 20 wickets.

Vaughan also wrote, ‘He (Lara) really assured us because if he wanted to win the match, he would have declared the innings long ago.’ At that time, Australia captain Ricky Ponting said even more clearly: ‘His entire focus was only on his personal record. The Australian team does not play like this.

However, the Mulder allowed Lara, the legendary West Indies batsman Lara to remain the only player to make 400 in a Test innings and he has no regrets. Many experts consider Lara’s 400* to be the most selfish innings ever in Test cricket. The facts written above support this but it is also a matter of thinking:

1. In that season, England and West Indies played 8 Tests against each other. England won 7 and Lara’s 400* runs prevented England from winning a Test. At that time, the West Indies did not have England’s bowling to take 20 wickets. Lara saved at least one necklace.

2. Further sports also proved that if Lara had stopped before Hayden’s world record was broken, the West Indies would not have won.

When Lara made a record, the PM Baldwin Spencer of Antiga went to the ground and greeted him there, while England captain Michael Vaughan praised Lara and described him as ‘one of the great players’.

A unique record of an England player, Graham Thorpe, is that he was present on the ground throughout Lara’s two marathon, 375 and 400* innings and later on his autobiography ‘Rising from the Ashes’,’ Wrote with the best batsmen or against the best batsmen, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Stew Wattin Was better than everyone. ‘