Former South African cricketer Dale Steyn revealed how South Africa kept Brian Lara’s record of 400 runs in Test innings intact during the game against Sri Lanka in 2006. He highlighted South Africa’s plan to stop Mahela Jayawardene who was going great guns.
The left-handed batsman from the Caribbean Brian Lara was the greatest cricketer during his playing days from 1990-2007. He dominated the cricketing world throughout his career spanning 17 years and clinched many records to his name.
One of the main highlights of his career was his unbeaten 400 runs in an inning of a Test match against England, which still remains unbeaten. In a total of 430 matches across the formats, the Southpaw scored 22,340 runs to go with 53 centuries and 111 half-centuries.
However, his record was in danger when Sri Lankan batter Mahela Jayawardene was going great guns against them in 2006. He scored 374 before South Africa made a stand that they would do anything to keep Brian Lara’s record intact.
Highest Score in Test format
400* – Brian Lara
380 – Matthew Hayden
375 – Brian Lara
374 – Mahela Jayawardene
365* – Garry SobersAdvertisementHappy Birthday Brian Lara
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) May 2, 2023
Speaking on the SRH’s YouTube channel, Dale Steyn recalled a story from the game against Sri Lanka in 2006. He said that he was angered young man and when the wickets weren’t falling they as a team decided that they will not let Jayawardene break Lara’s record.
“This is where the story starts to kick in. Mahela (Jayawardene) and (Kumar) Sangakkara are batting together, and Sangakkara is on strike. He cuts one straight to Jacques Rudolph at point, he drops the catch and it lands on the floor. The very next ball I run in, I’m an angered young man…Sanga drags the ball onto the stumps. Umpire puts his hand out and it’s a no ball”,
“We never sniffed a wicket in that entire time. At Tea on day three, we’d been fielding for two and a half days in the sun. Ashwell (Prince, who was captain on the tour) and the South Africans all get together and our team talk was not about how we’re gonna draw or win this game. Mahela was on 370 somewhere and we just said, ‘We need to do anything possible to make sure he doesn’t break Brian Lara’s record.” He said.
“We come out of the tea. Andre Nel is the bowler,” Dale Steyn recites how they got out Mahela Jayawardene
Dale Steyn further went on to reveal how after the tea Mahela Jayawardene was out softly. He added:
2 May 1969. West Indian cricket legend, Brian Lara, was born in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago. He recorded the highest innings score in first-class cricket, with 501 not out for Warwickshire in 1994, and the highest Test innings total of 400 not out against England in 2004. pic.twitter.com/zDXIgisWqR
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 2, 2023
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“We come out of the tea. Andre Nel is the bowler. And I’ve been fielding at mid-off for most of this game. I’d seen everything happen in this game at mid-off. I think he passed every milestone to me. I think he just blocked the ball and ran to me at this point. Nel ran in, he dragged one short, it was halfway down the pitch.
“I basically looked at the square leg because the bulk of the time that was where the ball was going. And for some crazy weird reason this ball didn’t get higher than ankle height and it castled Mahela’s stumps and we got him out for 374,” he concluded.
