Brian Lara - former Windies captain highest in Tests

By A. C. De Silva

CRICKET: The recently retired West Indian cricket captain Brian Lara has the highest score of 400 not out in Test cricket.

The other cricketers who have scored over 300 runs per innings in Tests are: Sir Garfield Sobers 365 not out, Len Hutton 364, Hanif Mohammed 337, Wally Hammond 336 not out, Sir Donald Bradman 334 and 304, A. Sandhan 325, R.B. Simpson 311, J.H. Edrich 310 not out, R.B. Cooper 307, Lawrence Rowe 302.

Two Pakistanis - youngest centurions

There are two Pakistanis.... Mushtaq Mohammad and Salim Malik who are among the youngest to make a Test century. Mushtaq was 17 years an 78 days old when he made 101 against India at Delhi in the 1960-61 series.

Then Salim Malik - the Pakistani middle-order batsman in his first Test against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 1982, made 12 and 100 not out. Salim Malik was 18 years and 328 days when he made that century. He was the third to do so for Pakistan after Khalid Ibadullah and Javed Miandad.

Duleep Mendis, Dias and Gavaskar

Sri Lanka's Duleep Mendis scored twin centuries (105 in the first and second innings) and India's Sunil Gavaskar (155) and S.M. Patil 114 not out in the first and second innings respectively in their inaugural Test played in Madras in 1982. The match ended in a draw.

Sri Lanka: 346 (Roy Dias 60, Duleep Mendis 105, Ranjan Madugalle 46, D.S. De Silva 49, Kapil Dev 3 for 97, Madan Lal 5 for 85 and 394 (Roy Dias 97, Duleep Mendis 105, Anura Ranasinghe 77, D.S. De Silva 46 not out, Kapil Dev 5 for 110, D.R. Doshi 3 for 147).

India: 556 for 6 wkts dec (Sunil Gavaskar 155, J. Arun Lal 63, D.B. Vengsarkar 90, S.M. Patel 144 not out) and 135 for 7 wkts (Sunil Gavaskar 46 not out, Ashantha de Mel 5 for 68).

27 wickets fall in a day

In the very early days of cricket when the batsmen had not made their mark on the Test scene, low scores were the order of the days. There was a instance at Lord's cricket grounds in 1888 when wickets fell like nine runs.

England, which began the day at 18 for 3, were all out for 53.

Then Australia who made 115 in their first innings were all out for 60 in their second innings, setting England, a 122-run target to win. But England who made 53 in their first innings collapsed for 62 in their second innings, leaving Australia winners by 61 runs in this game.

Teenage Test cricketers

Youngsters have been in the news on the cricket scene in Asia - Nasim-ul-Ghani of Pakistan became the youngest to play in a Test when he bowled against the West Indies at Bridgetown at the age of 16. However, this place was snatched from him by Mushtaq Mohammed, Hanif's brother, who played against the West Indies at Lahore at the age of 14!

At this age an English schoolboy would be knocking at the door of his school first eleven. In 1954, four Pakistani Test men were under 20.

"There is one record they hold which none of their bowlers will try to equal; that of their fast bowler, Khan Mohammed, who in the West Indies bowled 54 overs for 259 runs without taking a wicket. But then, Gary Sobers occupied the crease most of the time, totting up 365 not out.