Brian Lara breaks the 400 barrier
The Wisden Bulletin by Andrew Miller
Cricinfo
April 12, 2004
Another sweep off Gareth Batty, this time for a single, and Brian Lara touched heights that have never been equalled in Test history, as he became the first man to break the 400 barrier.
Ridley Jacobs played out the remainder of the over, including a streaky four past Graham Thorpe at slip, before Lara declared on a mammoth 751 for 5.
Lunch West Indies 730 for 5 (Lara 390*, Jacobs 100*) v England
He's done it. Brian Lara has reclaimed his world record, ten years to the week since he overhauled Sir Garry Sobers on this very ground, and just six months since his crown was taken by Australia's Matthew Hayden. The series may be long gone, but Lara's achievement will echo all around the Caribbean and beyond. It is a truly staggering moment of cricket history.
Lara was understandably edgy throughout a tense morning session, but as soon as he was within striking distance of the record, he turned on the style – thumping Gareth Batty for a vast straight six to draw level with Hayden's 380, before sweeping past backward square-leg for four. His record came from 546 balls, with 42 fours and four sixes, and for the second time in his career, he brought Antigua to a standstill as camera-crews and well-wishers swarmed onto the pitch. Among them was Antigua's newly elected prime minister, who hugged him in celebration just as Sobers had done a decade earlier.
Lara reached lunch on 390 not out, and for the second time in his career he passed through a guard of honour in front of the pavilion as his team-mates lined up to congratulate him. Immediately, Lara declared his intention to push on for a team total of 750 (and a personal score of 400), even though this is already the most runs ever conceded by England in a single Test innings, surpassing the 729 for 6 that Australia racked up at Lord's in 1930. Until the final ball of the session, it was also the highest total without a bye, but Geraint Jones was unable to gather a leg-side delivery that whistled away for four byes.
No matter that the Antigua pitch is among the more docile in the Caribbean – Lara had to do it the hard way as he resumed in the morning on 313 not out. After a brief net against Batty and Marcus Trescothick, Lara was faced with the third new ball, and immediately Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff found a whole new dimension of pace and bounce. Lara wisely opted not to take on the many short deliveries that came his way, choosing instead to duck and weave and wait for the shine to come off the ball.
Brian Lara has reclaimed the world record, and pushed on to become the first man to make 400 runs in a Test innings.
Lara became entrenched on 332 for a full 22 deliveries - the longest static spell of his innings - but on the stroke of drinks he prodded one off his hips to draw level with Graham Gooch's memorable score at Lord's in 1990 – the previous-highest score by a Test captain. At this stage of the morning, the power play was coming from Lara's resolute partner, Ridley Jacobs, who swatted Trescothick for a massive straight six to bring up his own half-century, and later cracked Flintoff over square leg for another maximum.
Given the brittleness of West Indies's tail, Lara was grateful for Jacobs's unstinting support, and he deservedly reached his third Test century in the penultimate over before lunch. Jacobs did have one immense stroke of good fortune on 87, however, when he was bowled all ends up by Vaughan, only for the umpire to call no-ball. It was a clear sign to the Antigua faithful that it would be West Indies's day.
After that torrid first hour, the bite went out of England's effort. With Matthew Hoggard already off the field, Harmison had to be removed from the attack after receiving a third warning for running down the pitch in his follow-through. Admittedly he didn't look too disheartened to be put out to pasture, but it left England decidedly low on options.
Both Vaughan and Batty were regularly dabbed behind point for ones and twos, as Lara picked up the pace as if he was in the closing stages of a one-day international. He began to roll his way up through the list of the highest Test scores, and shortly after the second drinks break, he had overtaken Sir Garry Sobers for the second time in his career, to reach 368 not out.
But the nerves kicked back in as Lara reached the 370s – he held his head in his hands after mis-sweeping Batty out of the leg-side rough, and the entire ground shuddered when he flirted outside off stump and clipped the ground with his bat as Jones threw the ball up in mock-celebration. Even though most of England's fans had switched sides for one day only, their players were in no mood for altruism. But eventually – gloriously – he overcame the jitters, calmly depositing Batty into the top tier of the stands.