On This Day 20 Years Ago: When Brian Lara Made Record-Breaking 400* Vs England
Brian Lara receiving Guard of Honour after 400* (X.com)
Brian Lara became the first player in the history of cricket to smash a 400 (unbeaten) in a Test match on this day 20 years ago. The West Indian legend achieved the feat against England in St. John's during the fourth Test of the series, which is still to be broken.
The West Indies reached 751/5 before declaring thanks to Lara's once-in-a-lifetime knock. England, in reply, posted 285 and 422/5 in their two innings, resulting in the contest ending in a draw.
Lara’s record individual score broke the record of Australia’s talismanic opener Matthew Hayden, who made 380 in Perth only six months earlier before the West Indian’s heroics.
Notably, it was only Lara who had the best individual score before Hayden’s 375. The Southpaw made 375 at the same venue against the same opposition in April 1994, exactly ten years before his 400.
Talking about Indians, Virender Sehwag has the highest individual score in Tests, courtesy of his swashbuckling 319 against South Africa in March 2008 in Chennai. The ace Indian opener also hit 309, which came against Pakistan in Multan in 2004, making him the only Indian to score 300+ twice in red-ball cricket.
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