5 instances when Brian Lara's 400 was considered to be under threat

Brian Lara did the unthinkable when he made 400 in a single test inningsIn the game of cricket, there are several records that just seem impossible to break – Sir Jack Hobb’s 199 centuries, Sachin Tendulkar’s 30000+ international runs, Jim Laker’s 19 wickets in a game and West Indies’ streak of 29 consecutive test series without a defeat. These records stand at the pinnacle of international cricket, and it must be said that it would take someone extremely special to even reach these heights. Among those many records, is Brian Lara’s historic 400 in test cricket.In 1994, Brian Lara broke the then highest individual score of 365* made by Garry Sobers in test cricket when he scored 375 against England at St. John’s. Sobers’ record had stood for 38 years, so most people expected Lara’s record to stand for atleast half that time. But history was made a mere 8 years later when Matthew Hayden smacked Zimbabwe around to make 380 in a test match, and the Princeâs record had been shattered. Lara took it well though, congragulating Hayden on his brilliance,But a mere six months later, he batted with vengeance against a hapless English lineup as he scored 400* in two and a half days to reclaim his record. He shook the world as Lara crowned himself as the rightful holder of one of the most difficult records in test cricket, and set critics waxing lyrical about him.It has been 11 years since he set the record, and it has not been broken yet,But it is not fair to say that no one has tried to. With batsmen ruling over bowlers in current times, it will only be a matter of time as the record is shattered again. Over the last few years, there have been numerous attempts to overtake Lara, but none have succeeded. But with cricketers tempering skill with aggression, it seems Laraâs record will be in danger in the coming years.Letâs take a look at 5 instances when Lara almost lost his record:

#5 Kumar Sangakkara - 319

The sole fact that Sri Lanka were 9 down when Sangakkara complted his triple made him miss Lara’s 400

Having missed his maiden triple century in 2004, Sangakkara was ready to make amends when he faced Bangladesh on a flat pitch. After choosing to bat, Sri Lanka lost early wickets, but Sangakkra and Jayawardene settled down to make a mountain of runs. Sangakkara was at his best as he cut and pulled the hapless Bangladesh bowlers all over the ground. Batting with his usual mix of solid defense and gung-ho flair, Sangakkara split the gaps with surgical efficiency as the Bangladeshis did not know where to bowl at him.

He started slowly, but accelerated in the middle and brough up his century off 146 balls. As the pitch flattened out, he showed his range of strokes as he became unstoppable in the field. Sohag Gazi was smacked over midwicket for four and then for six. Bangladesh’s best bowler Shakib al-Hasan was also carted over square leg. Pace was introduced in the form of Al-Amin Hossain, but Sangakkara dismissed him from his presence. But Shakib bowled well at the other end, picking up key wickets. As Sri Lanka passed 300, they lost Angelo Matthews.

With his dismissal, Sri Lanka kept loosing wickets at regular intervals, but Sangakkara carried on. He favoured the three left arm spinners bowling at him as he regularly came down the track to loft it over midwicket or play inside out. As Sangakkara passed 250, Sri Lanka’s 8th wicket fell, and it was time to switch gears. He first slog swept Shakib Al-Hasan for two sixes in an over, and then hit Sohag Gazi for two fours in the next.

As the 9th wicket fell in the next over, Sangakkara combined aggression with caution as he carefully took a single of the penultimate ball of each over. But with nervy moments from the last man Nuwan Pradeep, it was time to bring things to an end. On 286, Sangakkara hit a boundary and then consecutive sixes off Shakib Al-Hasan to reach his first ever triple-century. With the pitch and conditions favouring the batsmen, Sangakkara could have easily gone past Lara. But due to the lack of wickets in hand, he was forced to attack every ball, and eventually lost his wicket, caught at the long-on boundary as the last man out.

#4 Virender Sehwag - 319

Brian Lara took eight sesions to make 400 Sehwag could have done it in five

Many batsmen had the skill and temperament to go past Laras 400 Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis are all who come to mind. But they all batted with solidarity in the crease, not giving their wicket away cheaply, and almost being over-cautious in the middle. Then Virender Sehwag came out and showed that it was possible to bat like a man possessed and still be in striking distance of the 400-run mark.

In the first test of the three-match series, South African captain Graeme Smith saw a flat track and chose to bat first. It proved good as they racked up 540 on the board in under five sessions. They let India bat shortly after tea, knowing that the score was above par. There was a good chance they could bowl India out soon, and even a smidgeon of an opportunity to enforce the follow-on. With high hopes, South Africa proceeded to bowl. Sehwag then destroyed those hopes with cold efficiency.

In Sehwags terms, having a look-in lasted exactly four balls. His fifth went for four, his sixth sailed over third man for six. South Africa blanched. Never before in living memory had anyone hit a six against them in the second over of a test match. There were fours every other over, but overall it was a watchful innings. India went back into the pavilion at 82/0 at stumps. The third day was a run fest. Sehwag, who was earlier dropped from the test side laid into the South African bowling with audacity, showing off his range of shots. An astonishing 133 runs came in the square region on the off-side, his favourite position. South Africas plan of bowling outside off and full did not pay off in the least as Sehwag played fearlessly. The cuts and drives kept coming, and the boundaries started to flow.

Paul Harris, the spinner got the most punishment as 100 runs were hit off his 108 deliveries, including quite a few reverse sweeps. The short balls on off stump failed to work as Sehwag uppercut with ease, at times beating and even clearing the fielder in the deep. South Africa tried to move the line to off and middle, but Sehwag was up to the task again, swivelling and glancing the ball off his hips. The four pronged pace of Steyn, Morkel, Ntini and Kallis were dispatched one by one as Sehwag reigned supreme. Sehwag outscored his partners in every single partnership, often scoring more than half all by himself. When he reached his triple-century, he was the fastest in terms of balls, a record he would have broken had he gotten his third in Brabourne against Sri Lanka.

It was Sehwags day as South Africa saw their chances of enforcing the follow-on bite the Chennai dust, as Sehwag scored 319 all by himself. His strike-rate left people awe-struck, and at one point, he went from 175 to 200 in 8 balls. Between 150 and 250, he scored at a strike rate of 150.00 and when he reached his triple, it was off 278 balls. if Sehwag had just curbed his attacking instinct and tried to bat the day, he would have passed 400. But if he played for records, he wouldnt be Virender Sehwag in the first place.

#3 Michael Clarke - 329*

Michael Clarke put the team first and declared on 329* despite there being two and a half days left

Of all the innings that threatened Brian Lara’s mammoth 400, this was the most bizarre – since Michael Clarke declared the innings when was on 329, with almost two and a half days of play remaining. After destroying India for 191, Australia lost 3 quick wickets. But as what would become a habit in the series, Ponting and Clarke dropped anchor to steer Australia to safety. The two captains – one ex and the other current – played brilliant innings to make sure that India did not get so much as a whiff in the test and completely buried them under the cavalcade of runs scored. Clarke, who had problems with his back during his career, played like magic, never showing the least bit of tiredness as he took India apart.

He batted at a strike rate of 70, banishing the Indian bowler to all parts of the ground with his trademark quick feet and wrists. Four Indian bowlers conceded more than 100 runs as Clarke smashed them all equally. Batting on 47 on Day 2, Clarke hit 204 runs in the day to finish on 251*. The Indians tried their best to find a chink in his armour, but Clarke was immaculate in his defence and unforgiving in attack. Tossed up balls were caressed through the covers, and flat ones were cut ferociously through point or pulled to the square leg boundary. When things got monotonous, Clarke came down the ground to hit Ashwin cleanly over long-on.

In the first session of Day 3, a clip off his pads gave Clarke his first triple-century, and he basked in the glory of it. He was helped by Michael Hussey, who also found form to compile a fine 150. With his fourth century as captain, Clarke had played a knock which took the match completely out of India’s grasp. The immediate record to break was Don Bradman’s 334, and then Brian Lara’s 400. As Clarke moved on to 329*, it was only a matter of time.

But then there was pandemonium as Clarke declared the innings closed, and walked back with a smile on his face. With over seven sessions left in the game, it seemed to be a paranoid decision to take. But Clarke clarified that he didn’t want to take any risks, and that he put the game above his own personal records. Clarke’s 161* in Cape Town was a similar captain’s knock full of substance and grit, but it didn’t stop South Africa from winning. But in this match, Clarke made sure Australia went back with a win under their belt, and for him, that was better than overtaking Brian Lara.

#2 Chris Gayle - 333

Chris Gayle racked up his second triple century, and lost his second chance to overtake Lara

Being one of the most explosive batsmen in the world, Chris Gayle could rack up massive scores in a quick amount of time. A good example would be the 175 he scored in a T20 in the IPL, or the 215 he hit in an ODI. So if he got going in a test match, there would be no stopping him as all sort of records would be in danger. Having already hit one triple century, Gayle was in line to break Lara’s magical 400 when he batted against Sri Lanka in Galle. West Indies won the toss and went out to bat on a juicy surface which did not offer the slightest assistance to bowlers until late in the second day. Gayle made use of the big chance as he went all guns blazing to break the back of the Sri Lankan bowling attack.

Gayle smashed everyone for boundaries as the scoring rate jumped to 5 runs per over. The introduction of spin did no good as Ajantha Mendis disappeared over long-off in his third over. Dhammika Prasad was hit for another six and back to back boundaries gave Gayle his half-centuries off just 61 balls. Adrian Barath acted as the perfect foil as he played a controlled innings, complementing Gayle’s aggressive one. Gayle calmed down a bit after Barath’s dismissal, but he soon found his groove back as he took Suraj Randiv for 18 runs off an over. The last six he hit brought him to his century off just 117 balls.

After that, it was a display of sheer power as Gayle averaged at least a boundary an over. He was especially severe on Randiv as he took another 11 runs off the spinner. Gayle did show respect to the good balls however as Ajantha Mendis bowled a probing line. But all the other bowlers were taken to the cleaners as he brought up his double-century off 221 balls. After scoring his double, Gayle’s mindset changed and he began to play a typical test innings.

Knowing that there was plenty of time and that the pitch held no demons, Gayle batted sedately and kept milking the singles. The loose balls were still dispatched, but there was a controlled aggression to them. He lost partners at the other end, but he still motored on to his 250. Here, his game further slowed as he inched toward the magical 300-run mark. Finally, playing his 393rd ball, a full 172 deliveries after his double century, Gayle reached the much coveted 300. Once he crossed it, the mad-max style of batting was back as he lashed boundaries at will. As Gayle walked back with a huge smile on his face, he became just the fourth batsman to score two triple-centuries in test cricket, after Sehwag, Lara and Don Bradman. Once again, Lara could breathe easy.

#1 Mahela Jayawardene - 374

Mahela Jayawardene’s epic knock caused more sorrow than joy to his fans

When South Africa had Sri Lanka at 14-2, not even in their wildest dreams did they imagine that they would have to wait 624 runs for another wicket to fall. Yet that was precisely what unfolded as Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara pulled all the stops to cement themselves into the pitch. Batting on a good track, the pair backed themselves to hit the loose balls but respected the good ones, putting on a display of absolute confidence and determination. Jayawardene seemed the more relaxed of the two, often playing with casual elegance while timing the ball to the boundary.

After Jayawardene passed his half-century on Day 1, he took only the first session to complete his century. From there on, he was unstoppable as nothing could move him from his pedestal. The pitch had finally dried out and become a dream for batsmen, as Jayawardene took full toll of the poor South African bowling attack. The four-prong pace attack of Ntini-Steyn-Nel-Hall had no effect as Jayawardene continued on his merry way. The two batsmen batted the whole of Day 2, and Jayawardene passed his double-century on the final session. It was a mark of how confident he was that he reached his 200 with a towering six,

Batting on 224* on Day 3, he started from where he left off and batted elegantly. When things got a little monotonous, Jayawardene played his gentle lap-sweeps which raced to the boundary. When the leg side was protected, he made room and stroked the ball to the cover boundary. If the boundaries were plugged up, he resorted to taking the singles and doubles, thereby making life miserable for the South Africans. When he passed his 300, whispers of him taking over Brian Lara’s 400 began.

When he passed 350, they intensified. Jayawardene got into a bit of a rut, and the scoring rate dropped. He refused easy doubles and seemed intent on rotating the strike. At tea, he was on 357 not out, and the fireworks were ready for him. Time seemed to move slowly as Jayawardene blocked and parried. He moved on to the 360s and passed them. He moved on to the 370s, and was almost half-way through. On 374, an Andre Nel delivery kept low and skidded through his defence to disturb the stumps. There was a big groan in the crowd as Jayawardene slowly made his way back to the pavilion. It was perhaps the only time both the batsman and the crowd were disappointed with a score of 374.