Ex-record holder Hayden praises Lara's "incredible achievement"
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP): Australian batsman
Matthew Hayden telephoned West Indies captain Brian Lara Tuesday to
congratulate him on his "truly amazing" record of scoring 400 runs in a Test
match. In a 13-hour batting marathon against
England, Lara broke Hayden's world-record individual Test score of 380 and
went on to notch up a quadruple ton before the West Indies declared on Monday.
Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth last October had surpassed Lara's own
10-year-old record of 375 runs. "I spoke to
Brian over the phone this morning and passed on my congratulations for what
was a truly amazing effort," Hayden said Tuesday.
"I wanted to let him know how appreciative I was when he contacted me in
Perth, and I thought it was only appropriate that I pass on my own best wishes
to him and his family," he said. "Breaking
Brian’s record against Zimbabwe was one of the most memorable days of my
cricketing life, but records are made to be broken, and as a batsman, I guess
they can fall at any time," Hayden said.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of an incredibly successful Australian
team and I see my role as not a record breaker, but as a valuable contributor
to a winning team," he added. Lara became the
first man to score 400 in a Test innings as the home side took a big lead on
the third day of the fourth and final match against England in Antigua.
England were 5-171 at the close of play, 381 runs short of the follow-on
target.
Back...
Most popular
articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed
Printable
version
| 
