Lara leading batsman for year

With his sixth career double century (202 runs) and his first triple-figure mark against South Africa in the First Test at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, West Indies captain Brian Charles Lara took a giant leap to the top of the overall worldwide Tests aggregate for the year 2003.

His majestic 202 in the first innings pushed his overall tally in nine Tests to 1,266 runs in 16 completed innings. Lara got only five more runs in the second innings and increased the tally to 1,271 runs for an average of 78.81. This has been Lara’s most productive period and is the third time he has tallied over 1,000 runs aggregate in a calendar year. He achieved the feat previously in 1995 (1,151 runs, 63.94) and 2001 (1,222 runs, 67.89). The 202 against South Africa was also his second double century for the year following his historic double (209) against Sri Lanka in the drawn First Test at the newest cricket stadium in the West Indies — the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.

The Trinidadian batting maestro notched five centuries overall for this year and increased his Tests centuries tally to 23 which puts him one behind former West Indies captain Sir Viv Richards. The left-handed strokeplayer needs three more centuries to equal the West Indies Test centuries aggregate held by the legendary Sir Gary Sobers, who appeared in 93 Tests. Lara completed his 99th Test and will become the first Trinidadian and seventh West Indian to appear in 100 Test matches in the next Test match against South Africa and which is scheduled to start on Friday (Boxing Day) at Durban. Next on the 2003 Test Aggregate List is Australia’s Ricky Ponting, who also achieved the distinction of getting 1,000 runs for this year when he posted his highest Test score of 242 in the Adelaide Test where the Indian team registered an historic four-wicket victory over the reigning world champions.

Ponting moved his personal tally to 1,215 runs from ten Tests and 16 innings for an overall average of 86.79. Co-incidentally both Lara and Ponting, with double centuries to their credit, ended up on the losing side. West Indies lost by a 189 runs while Australia bowed to India by four-wickets at the Adelaide Oval. Both batsmen also scored their second double for the year. The Australian right-hander got his first double against West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval during their tour to the Caribbean earlier this year while Lara also replied with one of his triple-figure mark and his first at his home ground in Port-of-Spain. Ponting’s QP Oval double set up Australia’s victory to give them a 2-0 lead in the four-match series. The Aussie number three batsmen had also scored a century at Bourda in the First Test and followed up with another at the Kensington Oval, Barbados where Australia romped to victory and retained the coveted Sir Frank Worrell Trophy — emblem of supremacy between the two nations. Ponting missed the Fourth Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground where Lara and his men created history and whipped the Aussies and posted the highest second innings score ever to win a Test match.

The records will show that only one of Lara’s double-centuries was featured as a match winner. His 213 against Australia at Sabina Park in the 1999 series levelled the scores at 1-1 after West Indies were beaten in less than three days at the Queen’s Park Oval and suffered the indignity of being bowled out for their lowest Test total in the second innings. South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith notched his first century (132) as captain in a home Test match and tactically inspired his team to a convincing 189-run victory over West Indies. The gritty left-hander scored 44 in the second and moves his annual tally to 1,184 runs in 11 Tests. Smith batted 18 innings and has an average of 65.78. Another pugnacious left-hander Matthew Hayden, who eclipsed Lara’s cherished highest individual Test of 375 when he pulverised Zimbabwe for a new world record score of 380, follows Smith.

The Aussie opener mustered 1,123 runs from 11 Tests and 19 innings for an average of 70.19. Apart from the new individual highest Test score, he has also entered his name in the record books by becoming the first player to amass 1,000 runs ore more in three consecutive years, having also achieved the milestone in 2001 and 2002. South Africa’s right-handed opener Herschelle Gibbs is the other batsman in the top five aggregate for this year. He scored 60 in the first innings against West Indies and was forced to retire injured in the second after being struck on the nose by a lifter from Vasbert Drakes. He made only six runs but carried his tally to 1,014 runs (59.65) in 11 Tests and 19 innings. In the just concluded Third Test between Sri Lanka and England at the Singalese Stadium, left-handed Marcus also joined the elite rank of getting the thousand mark for the year. The English opener finished with 1,003 runs from 13 Tests and 24 innings and a highest of 219. England’s captain Michael Vaughan, who topped the aggregate last year with 1481 runs (61.71, plus six centuries) from 14 matches, fell short by 42 runs when he made only 18 and 14 in the final Test in Colombo. He finished the season with 958 runs (41.65) including three centuries.