Unique SCG milestone awaits Michael Clarke
Columnist By Kersi Meher-Homji, 5 Jan 2012 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert
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- Australian Cricket, Cricket, india cricket, Michael Clarke, SCG
Australian captain Michael Clarke throws a ball during a cricket practice match (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
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It’s beginning to look a lot like the decade from 1995 to 2004, with Australians bowling and batting like before. Replace Glenn McGrath with James Pattinson, and Steve Waugh with Michael Clarke, and we could be staring at déjà-vu.
What a match for the Australians on the SCG turf celebrating its 100th Test!
Except for the short period on the opening day when Australia lost 3-37, it has been an overwhelming dominance by Clarke’s men.
If day one was dominated by the pace of Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, day two belonged to batting giants Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.
Clarke (251 not out) added 288 for the fourth wicket with Ponting (134) and 157 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with Hussey (55 not out) as Indian bowlers were hit all over the park, chased by tired fielders.
Perhaps “chased” is not an accurate word. Far from it!
As the Test resumes this morning, Australia (4 for 482) leads India (191) by a big margin of 291 runs and three days still remaining.
Among Australians, Clarke has scored the highest individual score on the SCG, going past Doug Walters’ record of 242 vs. the West Indies in 1968-69.
Here are some milestones awaiting skipper Clarke:
* He needs 37 runs to become the top scorer on the SCG. The record is held by RE Foster, 287 runs for England vs. Australia way back in 1903-04; 108 years ago.
* So far Clarke is the joint fourth highest scorer on the SCG after RE Foster, Brian Lara (277 for the West Indies vs. Australia in 1992-93) and Wally Hammond (251, England vs. Australia, 1928-29).
* If Clake scores 49 more runs today, he will become the first triple centurion in a Sydney Test.
So far, 20 batsmen have recorded 24 triple hundreds in Test history, Brian Lara being the highest scorer with an unbeaten 400 vs. England at St John’s in 2003-04.
Matthew Hayden is second on the list – and the highest among Australians – when he hammered 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth in 2003-04, a few months before Lara.
Don Bradman, Lara, Chris Gayle of West Indies and India’s inconsistent ‘jaywalker’ Virender Sehwag are the only batsmen to record two triple hundreds each.
Bradman and Sehwag came close to their third triple when Bradman made 299 not out and Sehwag 293.
Other triple tonners are Andy Sandham (the pioneering member of the Test triple century club), Wally Hammond, Len Hutton, Garry Sobers, Hanif Mohammad, Bob Cowper, Bob Simpson, Hanif Mohammad, John Edrich, Lawrence Rowe, Graham Gooch, Mark Taylor, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Younis Khan.
Will Clarke join this elite group some time before lunch today?
Also, when will he declare the innings closed? Already Australia lead by 291 runs.
I expect the declaration to come soon after lunch, when the lead will be an awe-inspiring 420.
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The Crowd Says (14) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Explore:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, india cricket, Michael Clarke, SCG
January 5th 2012 @ 8:11am
Matt F said | January 5th 2012 @ 8:11am | Report comment
Unless there’s a fair bit of rain forecast (there’s a tiny amount, not too much at all) I think declaring at lunch is a little bit early. There’s still 3 days to go, and the SCG pitch will start to deteriorate late day 3 or early day 4. There will be plenty of time to bowl them out and I’d rather send them out on a deteriorating pitch then give them a session or two on a flat one which might build their confidence. 1/2 an hour before tea would be the earliest that I’d declare. Our bowlers have been brilliant this series, so I’d back them to easily bowl India out in 2 days.
Incidently, if we do hold off until around Tea then Clarke will be in reach of 400 (if he’s still there of course!)
January 5th 2012 @ 9:40am
Jimbo Jones said | January 5th 2012 @ 9:40am | Report comment
I was amazed to see that Tendulkar hadnt gotten any triple centuries, as I thought he would have been on that list for sure!
January 5th 2012 @ 9:57am
Malibu77 said | January 5th 2012 @ 9:57am | Report comment
It has irked me that the highest individual test score on the great SCG belonged to a ‘foreigner’ and has stood for so long.
It would be great for an Aussie to take that record today.
Also Aussies making really big Test scores since Bradman are rare. Clarkes is only the 9th score of 250 or more since the war by an Aussie.
January 5th 2012 @ 10:08am
The Bush said | January 5th 2012 @ 10:08am | Report comment
I’ve often wondered if that was for some of the following reasons;
1. Aussie wickets tend to be more bowler friendly than just about anywhere else in the world, meaning home-turf advantage usually equates to our bowlers destroying teams – not our batsmen;
2. For long stretches during the post-war period, Australia has fielded teams with strong batting line-ups, resulting in a situation whereby there are only so many runs to go around. This is in contrast to someone like Lara who could score massive centuries, but because the Windies usually failed to assist him, there was always plenty of “time”; and
3. A refusal (rightly or wrongly) to play the weaker teams on any consistent basis. For example, we only agreed to start playing the Kiwis in the 70s and have played far, far fewer tests against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe compared to teams like India and the West Indies (it is no coincidence that Hayden’s massive score is against Zimbabwe).
January 5th 2012 @ 12:23pm
Malibu77 said | January 5th 2012 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
I get annoyed that Jason Gillespie’s 201 vs Bangladesh is discounted (and to a lesser extent Hayden’s 380 vs Zimb) because of who the opponents were. Gillespie batted for something like 10 hours! If huge scores were so easy, they would be making them every day and that is not the case. Batting for long innings in hot and humid conditions still requires a great deal of skill, fitness and patience, regardless of who the opposition are.
I agree with your point 1. Rarely are Aussie pitches absolute roads – bowlers always have a chance here, both the quicks and spinners.
January 5th 2012 @ 12:29pm
Ian Whitchurch said | January 5th 2012 @ 12:29pm | Report comment
Not only that, in the match before we’d cleaned up all the Australians at Fatullah … except for Gilchrist in the first innings, and Ponting in the second.
Heres’ the card from Fatullah in ’06.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/bdeshvaus/engine/current/match/238171.html
January 5th 2012 @ 12:57pm
Sam Brown said | January 5th 2012 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
I agree, in that same match the great M Hayden was out for 20.
I love that Aussie pitches give the bowlers a little bit of spice to work with, truly tests the batsmen. If a player has a good series in Australia he can go a long way whereas we have seen so many’players come here with hype only to be exposed as a flat track bully.
January 5th 2012 @ 12:59pm
The Bush said | January 5th 2012 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
“If huge scores were so easy, they would be making them every day and that is not the case.”
I’m not suggesting it’s easy – I’m suggesting it’s easier. That don’t get them “everyday”, but a lot of huge scores are notched up by good teams playing against poor teams; far more than when good teams consistently play good teams.
January 5th 2012 @ 5:30pm
JohnB said | January 5th 2012 @ 5:30pm | Report comment
Big grounds here would play some part. You’ll be running more 2s and 3s with shots being fielded rather than just going straight to the fence, both reducing the number of runs scored, and tiring you out.
A couple of points on Hayden’s 380:
First, it’s fair to say that the Zim team Hayden took 380 off wasn’t a great bowling line up. It wasn’t absolutely terrible either. Many of the attacks which have had 300 taken off them over the years have been pretty pedestrian.
Second, I think it bears noting that Australia won that test. Of the 25 scores there have been over 300, only 8 have been in games ending in a win (and one of those – Len Hutton’s 364 – was a timeless match). Clarke’s innings may yet be the 9th of course. To me, if there’s a huge individual score but the team doesn’t win, a bit of an asterisk goes against the score. Some could quibble a bit at that – Don Bradman could point out that both of his came in 4 day games, Wally Hammond could point out that his was in a 3 day game, and Hanif Mohammed could point out that his was in the second innings when his team followed on a small matter of 479 behind.
The other 300 scorers in winning teams – Jayawardene 374 SL v SA, Sobers 365* WI v Pak, Gooch 333 Eng v Ind, Inzaman 329 Pak v NZ, John Edrich 310* Eng v NZ, Sehwag 309 Ind v Pak.
January 5th 2012 @ 10:04am
WoobliesFan said | January 5th 2012 @ 10:04am | Report comment
Go easy Kersi…the comparisions to 1995-2004 are too funny…..you and Lordy know how to talk it up.
Which version of the 1995-2004 team lost like this team did in SA and to NZ?…………waiting.
You take one decent test match and measure it at the same level as 10 years of utter dominance. How silly and wasted.
January 5th 2012 @ 12:06pm
Andy Van said | January 5th 2012 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
“It’s beginning to look a lot like the decade from 1995 to 2004, with Australians bowling and batting like before. Replace Glenn McGrath with James Pattinson, and Steve Waugh with Michael Clarke, and we could be staring at déjà-vu. ”
Are you kidding me? It’s been ONE match. Don’t get ahead of yourself Kersi! What a statement.
What a match though so far!
January 5th 2012 @ 12:30pm
Rhys said | January 5th 2012 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
It’s a bit early to be drawing comparisons between a guy who’s played 3 Tests and a genuine legend of the game. It’s also too early to be comparing an Australian team that is showing some positive signs of late with an Australian team that dominated the world of cricket for over a decade.
From humble beginnings great empires are built….but not overnight.
January 5th 2012 @ 1:54pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 5th 2012 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
Andy Van and WoobliesFan,
I wrote”It’s beginning to look like …”, NOT it is.
I am typing this comment from the SCG Press Box, my hands sore with clapping after Clarke’s triple ton.
What a day for Australia! Also Clarke has been a consistent scorer since 2004 apart from a few wobbles in the last two years.
January 5th 2012 @ 9:37pm
purple_shag said | January 5th 2012 @ 9:37pm | Report comment
Who’s your Shane Warne Kersi? Nathan Lyon? Michael Beer?
Déjà-drug talk more like it. Yet another inflammatory comment to start an argument for arguments sake. Looks like it worked.