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.

Brian Lara – the windies captain – highest in Tests. |
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.
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