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Plethora of records for Lara
Rajneesh Gupta
November 22, 2006

On the third day of the Multan Test, Brian Lara [Images] achieved the rare feat of scoring a hundred before lunch. Lara has now performed this feat on two separate occasions. The other such occasion for Lara was against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003-04.

Lara is also only the sixth batsman to score a hundred in pre-lunch session after starting his innings in that session.

Hundred before Lunch on first day

BatsmanCountriesVenueSeasonScore at Lunch
VT Trumper Aus v Eng Manchester 1902103*
CG Macartney Aus v Eng Leeds 1926112*
DG Bradman Aus v Eng Leeds 1930105*
Majid Khan Pak v NZ Karachi 1976-77108*

Hundred before Lunch on other days

DayScore at Lunch
KS RanjitsinhjiEng v Aus Manchester 1896341* to 154*
C Hill Aus v SA Johannesberg 1902-03322* to 138*
W Bardsley Aus v SA Lord's 1912232* to 150*
CP Mead Eng v Aus The Oval 1921219* to 128*
JB Hobbs Eng v SA Lord's 1924212* to 114*
HG Owen-Smith SA v Eng Leeds 1929327* to 129*
WR Hammond Eng v NZ Auckland 1932-33241* to 152*
LEG Ames Eng v SA The Oval 1935325* to 148*
SJ McCabe Aus v SA Johannesberg 1935-36459* to 159*
GS Chappell Aus v NZ Christchurch 1981-82276* to 176
MA Taylor Aus v Pak Peshawar 1998-992112* to 215*
Inzamam-ul-Haq [Images]Pak v ZimHarare2002-033103*
BC LaraWI v ZimBulawayo2003-04277* to 191*
IR BellEng v BanChester-le-Street2005257* to 162*
BC LaraWI v PakMultan2006-073100*

Fastest 100s in Test cricket

Lara's 77-ball hundred is the joint seventh fastest hundred in Test cricket. It was also the fastest from Lara's bat (his previous fastest had come off 82 balls against Australia at St. John's in 1998-99).

The following table lists the fastest hundreds in Test cricket:

BallsBatsman (Score)CountriesVenueSeason
56IVA Richards (110*)WI v EngSt.John's1985-86
67JM Gregory (119)Aus v SAJohannesburg1921-22
69S Chanderpaul (100)WI v SAGeorgetown2002-03
71RC Fredericks (169)WI v AusPerth1975-76
74Majid Khan (112)Pak v NZKarachi1976-77
74Kapil Dev [Images] (163)Ind v SLKanpur1986-87
74M Azharuddin (109)Ind v SACalcutta1996-97
76GL Jessop (104)Eng v AusThe Oval1902
77BC Lara (196*)WI v PakMultan2006-07

Lara levels with Gavaskar

The hundred was 34th for Lara, which puts him ahead of Steve Waugh and at level with Sunil Gavaskar [Images]. Now only Sachin Tendulkar [Images] - with 35 hundreds - is ahead of Lara in Test cricket.

This is how Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Lara's career stats looked after reaching their 34th hundreds:

TestsInnsRunsAvgTests/100
Gavaskar119206974851.313.50
Tendulkar119192984357.563.50
Lara1302301188453.293.82

Note: The stats are updated upto the completed innings in which the 34th hundred was scored (Lara's figures are completed upto the end of third day's play of Multan Test).

Country-wise break-up of Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Lara's performances
GavaskarTendulkarLara
Opponent Tests100sTests/100Tests100sTests/100Tests100sTests/100
Australia2082.502173.003193.44
Bangladesh---313.00212.00
England [Images]3849.501963.173074.29
India------1728.50
New Zealand [Images]924.501635.3311111.00
Pakistan2454.801628.001142.75
South Africa---1635.331844.50
Sri Lanka [Images]723.501672.29851.60
West Indies [Images]27132.081635.33---
Zimbabwe---933.00212.00
Overall 125343.68132353.77130343.82

The following table gives a break-up of scoring-pattern of the three batsmen. It is pretty clear that Lara has a distinct quality of scoring big hundreds. Of the 34 times he reached the three-figure mark, Lara managed to cross 150 on as many as 19 occasions. Tendulkar has a tally of 15 such scores, while Gavaskar managed only 12.

While Lara has two triple hundreds to his credit (including a world record 400*), Gavaskar and Tendulkar never even touched 250-mark.

ScoreGavasakarTendulkarLara
100-149222015
150-19981111
200-299446
300-399001
400 or more001

The following table lists the performances of three master batsmen in each segment of 25 Tests. It will be observed that Gavaskar was an early starter -- scoring most runs and hundreds in first 50 Tests (4,947 runs and 20 hundreds as against Tendulkar's 3,438 and 11 and Lara's 4,205 and 10).

Tendulkar was in peak of his form from 51st to 100th Test (aggregating 4,947 runs and 19 hundreds in this period). Lara, however, has been in mind-boggling form from 76th Test onwards.

He aggregated 5,179 runs and hit 16 hundreds from Test # 76 to 125 -- much more than Gavaskar and Tendulkar -- and has been carrying his splendid form even further. Gavaskar did not go beyond 125 Tests and Tendulkar is at a decline after his 125th Test.

GavaskarTendulkarLara
MatchesRuns100sRuns100sRuns100s
1-25225691522522834
26-502691111916619226
51-751771425571119285
76-100176162410827838
101-125163441876523968
126-132--18805723

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