Monday was one of those eventful days in world cricket history. Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis announced his retirement from the game and Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly named a new opening pair for the third Test against Pakistan, but West Indian captain Brian Lara decided to hog the biggest headline of the day with a record Test score of 400 runs.
It was a farewell dinner for Waqar Younis on Monday evening, but everyone was talking about Brian Charles Lara's knock.
Lara spent 773 minutes at the crease and faced 582 balls to score an unbeaten 400 runs. In the process he also became only the second batsman in Test history to score a triple ton twice after Sir Donald Bradman.
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"Amazing achievement," said Sachin Tendulkar, the man often racing the left-handed genius for the numero uno spot in the rankings.
"One of the best batsman of my generation, if not the best ever. Such innings can never be planned, they just happen," he said.
Ganguly was even more lavish in his praise. "Great knock," he said. "I was not going to be surprised if he crossed 400 and he did just that. When he is in full flow, there is no better sight in world cricket."
Virender Sehwag, the latest entry in the 300 club, said there was no comparison. "When Lara scored his 300 he was 24, I am 25," Sehwag said.
Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, also a member of the 300 club, said Lara's performance was out of this world and he has duly taken back what was his -- the record of highest Test score.
Former Pakistan skipper and coach Javed Miandad said, "The score is not the great part of the innings, but the fact that he held the record, saw it being broken, and then snatched it back is what is so great about the innings."
He also added that these things are a matter of chance. "Any of the top three batsmen in the world like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, or Matthew Hayden could have done it if the conditions had suited them like they suited Lara," Miandad said.
"My guess is that one of the Indian batsmen or Inzamam-ul-Haq will break the record."
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