The explorer has taught sportsmen that what you go through alone is never as important as what you have committed to doing for others

Firdose Moonda20-Mar-2015Imagine how you would feel if you were stumbling sightless through a jungle after a snake-bite or if you watched a fellow climber die on your way to the summit or if you were stalked by a polar bear while circumnavigating the Arctic Circle in the ever-present darkness of winter. Terrified? Traumatised? At the very least trepidation for whether you should go on, surely? Not Mike Horn.He completed his trip down the Amazon river despite temporary blindness. When he lost his friend, he found the top of the mountain. And he shrugged off the polar bear until it found something else to eat. When Horn starts something, he finishes it and that’s what he wants the South African team to buy into as they enter the final phase of the World Cup.”It’s very important for them to understand that when I play out in nature, as an example, I don’t really lose a match and there’s no second match. I lose a life. So there’s a different commitment to what I do,” Horn told South African broadcaster SABC news. “That weakness that we have as humans, we cannot show that weakness.”So far, South Africa have understood. Those words were repeated almost verbatim by AB de Villiers after their quarter-final win over Sri Lanka, when they exerted the kind of authority Horn had demanded. “We have to invade the opposition’s space, we have to dominate, we have to be so present around them that wherever they turn or wherever they look, they must see a Protea,” Horn said. “And then we can play our own game, and we keep on applying that pressure slowly and surely onto them. Then they are going to crack.”That philosophy is fundamentally different to the South African approach, especially in knockout matches. They have seen their role as pressure absorbers, not pressure transmitters, and it has been their undoing.A change in mindset was required and that is what Horn has been working on since he first met the side in 2011. Then, they were embarking on a three-Test tour to England. Victory would give them the Test mace. “When the Proteas came to Switzerland, Gary Kirsten gave me a job to do. He said, ‘Mike, you’ve got to make a team out of these individuals.’ I said, ‘I know the perfect exercise – let’s take them up the mountain.'”We roped them up together and we climbed a peak that’s not often climbed, and as the players went higher and higher and they got more tired and more engaged and it became colder and more difficult, the players slowly but surely got closer to each other,” Horn said. “They started helping the weak ones. They started looking after each other, and that creates a great team environment.”

We have to be so present around them that wherever they turn or wherever they look, they must see a ProteaMike Horn

Not only did South Africa win the mace, they have have kept it with them, barring a few months last year, despite major differences in personnel – a new coach, a new captain and a new senior core. That smooth transition was possible because of the strength of the collective, which Horn has impressed on all the teams he has worked with.From India, to the Kolkata Knights Riders and the German Football team, Horn has taught sportsmen that what you go through alone is never as important as what you have committed to doing for others.”Once committed, you have to finish the job at any cost. That was your word, your commitment. It was a message that the players took to heart,” Joy Bhattacharya, team director of Knight Riders, wrote on Quartz India. “The beauty of Mike’s tales was that they transcended cultures and educational backgrounds.”Morne Morkel, who plays for Knight Riders and grew particularly close to Horn, is a perfect example of how the message has got through. AB de Villiers has called him one of the “captains of the bowling,” who “talks with good confidence.”Morkel bowls that way too. His job is not to take his foot off the gas after the initial waves of attack. In so doing, he finished as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in 2014 and is their leading paceman at the World Cup. Morkel is bowling quicker and more aggressively than he ever has. His use of the bouncer has also been exceptional. “He walks the talk,” de Villiers said. “And he believes he can actually play a major role in teams winning Cups.”That is the exact feeling Horn is trying to foster in every member of South Africa’s squad. “The World Cup cannot be won with individuals. It can be won with one team. And for me, being back with the Proteas now, I can see that team. That team has been created and they’re here for one reason, and that is to win the World Cup.”So does that mean Horn thinks South Africa will leave with the trophy they came for? “I don’t think the question is can they. I think it’s when will they win a World Cup. Cricket is a game, and in games we do have luck and we don’t have luck. I think this team has the individuals and they’ve done the hard yards. They’ve prepared themselves very well and now it’s going to be the roll of the dice. If there is ever a team that can win the World Cup it’s this team that we have now. I’ll back them all the way.”

Statistical highlights from Pakistan’s emphatic ten-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle

Bishen Jeswant21-Jun-20151:15

Insights – Pakistan end nine-year wait in Sri Lanka

17 Total Tests that have ended with a result after the first day saw no play. Seven such Tests have been played since 2000; the last two being between England and New Zealand in 2013, and India and Australia in Mohali in 2013.8.11 Pakistan’s run rate during their chase of 90. They scored 92 runs off 11.2 overs. This is the best run rate in Test history for any team batting at least 10 overs. No team had previously scored at a run rate of more than eight.2 Number of times Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka by 10 wickets. The only team Pakistan have beaten by a 10-wicket margin on more occasions is England, who have faced this fate three times. This is the first instance of a visiting team beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets at home.3 Stumpings effected by Sarfraz Ahmed during the second innings, the joint-most by any Pakistan wicketkeeper. This was also the first instance of three Sri Lankan batsmen being stumped in the same innings.123 Number of Test matches that Pakistan have won, the most for any Asian nation. They have played 390 Tests. India are next with 122 wins from 488 Tests. Sri Lanka have won 71 out of 236 Tests, while Bangladesh have seven wins from 91.7-76 Yasir Shah’s figures during the second innings, the best by an overseas bowler in Tests in Sri Lanka. The only other overseas bowler to take a seven-wicket haul there is Shane Warne, with 7 for 94 at the P Sara Stadium in Colombo in 2002.20 Years since a Pakistani legspinner has returned better figures than Yasir’s 7 for 76 in an innings. Mushtaq Ahmed (7 for 56) did it against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1995. The best-ever bowling figures for a Pakistani legspinner, or any bowler, is Abdul Qadir’s 9 for 56 against England in Lahore in 1987.39 Runs added by Sri Lanka’s last five wickets during the second innings – they went from 167 for 5 to 206 all out. Coincidentally, even in their first innings, Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for exactly 39 runs, going from 261 for 5 to 300.9 Years since Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. This last happened in Kandy in 2006, when Pakistan won by eight wickets. Since then, Pakistan had lost five and drawn three Tests in Sri Lanka.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2015While Warner carried on with the carnage, Shikhar Dhawan provided ample support at the other end, as the openers added 130 inside 15 overs•BCCIWarner drilled nine fours and four sixes to make his way to 91 off 55 balls•BCCIBut he was denied a ton after mistiming a pull off Morne Morkel behind to Robin Uthappa•BCCIWarner’s dismissal opened the door slightly ajar for Knight Riders, who fought back with quick strikes. Ravi Bopara had to depart for 2 after hitting straight to Johan Botha at extra cover•BCCIBut Sunil Narine went wicketless for the the third time this season, conceding 38 runs from four overs•BCCISunrisers lost some of their early-innings momentum, but Dhawan stayed almost till the end, muscling a 46-ball 54 to steer the hosts to 177•BCCIDark clouds descended upon Vizag soon after the innings, bringing with it persistent rain and causing a long delay•BCCIPlay eventually resumed with Knight Riders set a revised target of 118 from 12 overs, and Uthappa wasted no time in firing his team to a bright start•BCCIPraveen Kumar, though, dampened the visitors’ chase in no time. He first bowled Gautam Gambhir, before taking a well-judged grab at short fine leg to send back Uthappa•BCCIWith the asking rate climbing, Andre Russell slogged for one four and two sixes, but was eventually caught at the boundary by Dale Steyn for 19•BCCIIt left the likes of Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan with too much to do in too few deliveries, as Sunrisers hung on to register a 16-run victory•BCCI

Stuart Binny, R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha have performed well enough. But they have to quickly graduate from being bits-and-pieces two-in-ones

Sharda Ugra in Colombo21-Aug-2015India are still 253 runs ahead of Sri Lanka after day two in Colombo and the team believes a lead of 100 would be good enough to push the game into series-levelling territory. That very idea will allow its fans the overnight dream of India’s bowlers turning into ravenous predators on Saturday morning.A day of tight, disciplined bowling reflected in Sri Lanka’s cautious crawl and will give the Indians much satisfaction. But they will wait for the sessions when their accepted arithmetic becomes proven fact. Involving fractions into Test cricket is a risky business. They do not show up on the scoreboard – neither as runs nor as wickets. The collective bits and pieces of India’s ‘aspirational allrounders’ have not added up to a larger and impactful whole yet.One of the two Stuart Binny, described by his team director as the “half” of India’s “four-and-half bowlers” set, has had a miserable time of it in both departments. The other, it must be officially recorded before the trolls are beset by fits of rage, is doing nine-tenths of his job as lead spinner; the missing one-tenth in R Ashwin’s batting leaves an inconvenient hole in the lower order.Binny was meant to be the ‘seam-bowling allrounder’ and at the start of the series, Kohli said India were looking to “cement” Ashwin in the team as an “allrounder rather than a bowler who can bat because he has the ability.” The larger plan was to have the top five batters take on the burden of scoring, “till the time the guys lower down get more confident.”Binny’s confidence and optimism would have taken a beating, after a nightmare start with the bat on Thursday. His two bowling spells on Friday proved he could, as expected, swing the new ball and handsomely at that, and control the run-flow with a slightly older one. He bowled a second spell that read 5-1-7-0. Binny and Mishra pulled off quite a squeeze on Kaushal Silva – 15 runs in 10 overs – and the batsman eventually succumbed to Mishra.Yet as Silva trudged on towards his fifty, lingering over Binny’s manful offerings there remained a sense of what could have been. Or how it was happening at all.Stuart Binny did not have a good time with the bat, but he did quite well with the ball•AFPIn Binny’s second Test at Lord’s last year, a catch off Gary Ballance flew between wicketkeeper MS Dhoni and first slip Shikhar Dhawan, both frozen. The first over of his next Test, Binny had Silva caught behind for 14, off a no-ball. Bowling at approximately 120kph, far from 6ft 6in in height, no matter his remarkable fitness, such mistakes should not happen. His bowling coach B Arun said, “I know, he bowled exceptionally well today but again, it’s a big lesson for him. Losing a Test wicket to a no-ball. You’ve got to get back and work so that you don’t make the same mistake again. It’s a costly lesson.”Binny still awaits his first Test wicket while Ashwin, for his part, has had a far more storied career and does not appear to socialise with self-doubt. His batting average is nearly 34 from 26 Tests, including two centuries and four fifties. Post the tour of Australia, his scores with the bat have read: 2*, 7, 3 and today’s rather crushing 2. His dismissal this morning, off the seventh ball he faced was, to use a southern-hemisphere expression, an utter fizzer. A forward dob off Matthews towards the man standing there at short extra cover for precisely that kind of error; the visitors’ tent may have felt a bit frosty when he returned. In the P Sara XI, only Ishant Sharma (64) Virat Kohli (36) and M Vijay (32) have played more Tests.At the other end, was India’s third aspirational all rounder, who cannot possibly fill in the sizeable boots he is supposed to. But Wriddhiman Saha has tried to make a decent fist of it. He has scored his first two fifties in Test cricket on this tour. He had begun brightly on Thursday evening, but as the Sri Lankan bowlers returned energised, his struggles were hair-raising. But he stayed put. The Gods were on his side: in the space of 10 balls, first a Dhammika Prasad beauty brushing his stump but failed to dislodge a bail. Then a caught behind off the same bowler couldn’t be proven cleanly taken; Saha had not moved from his overnight score of 19.He survived the final traces of the new ball, worked through difficulties in his timing, tackled Prasad’s swing and the pace of a fired-up Dushantha Chameera. He played three scoring strokes off Prasad’s 18 balls and seven off 24 from Chameera. He scored 43 off his 56 runs off the spinners and put up a robust eighth-wicket partnership of 46 with Amit Mishra. Could he be the full-time sucker-for-punishment No. 6 with an appetite for perpetual toil with the lower order? Saha, it must be remembered, is in only his seventh Test.India’s most successful allrounder of late, not that we have recovered from the departure of Kapil Dev, is of course, MS Dhoni, who scored 4876 averaged 38 in his 90 Tests. He has six Test centuries and 18 of his 33 half centuries were scored away from home. Plus 256 catches, 38 stumpings.At the moment what India are offering their cricket are not regular, respectable All Rounders in capital letters, but a smattering of allrounder lite. Just like two wrongs don’t make a right, three lites don’t make a regular. Allrounder that is.

Tharindu Kaushal’s ripping, wrist-spun offbreak and self-belief were on full display as he spun his way to a five-wicket haul that promised good things for Sri Lanka in years to come

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jun-2015Mohammad Hafeez, playing Tharindu Kaushal for the first time in a match, offered a genial handshake, but the ball that got him out leant in for the kiss on both cheeks. Hafeez was back in his crease, prodding at what he thought would be a regulation offbreak. The ball pounced at the wickets instead, took the inside half of the bat, then wriggled onto leg stump.Sri Lanka has not witnessed a five-for from this kind of spin in Tests for a while. Rangana Herath has been a weaver of webs, a quick-witted conjurer, a subtle illusionist. Kaushal’s is rockstar spin, dipping suddenly, gripping both pitch and spectator. He’s an offspinner bowling to right-handers, and it is the inside-edge that he’s beating. Asad Shafiq was caught dead in front, the ball quickening to beat his on-side swipe. Misbah was run out, but he might not have been if it had been his bat that made contact with the ball, instead of his front pad.Soon, with a scare in the Pakistan dressing room, even Kaushal’s poor balls were were being mishit. The full tosses were poked to infielders. The sweeps found the men in the deep. Pakistan had prepared for Herath. They had picked his plots apart in Galle. But now, faced with charisma rather than control, maybe they panicked. They did so well to avoid the rip current, only to be eaten by a shark.Herath, meanwhile, whom his captain had bowled, and bowled and bowled in 2014, until the cartilage in his knees resembled the consistency of his teammates’ batting, was needed only for a few waddling chases around the outfield. He is an odd choice for a specialist fielder, but given his work rate over the last few years, Herath deserves more mellow days such as this.If he and Kaushal play together more often, there will be other days when Herath is required to pinch the flow of runs. For all the revs and talent, Kaushal still sends down loose deliveries in abundance, which is why his international debut had been delayed, despite him making a Test squad back in 2012.”When I was picked in 2012, I didn’t have that much experience,” Kaushal said after stumps on the first day. “I’d only played one club season. Now that I’ve played three, I know a bit more of what cricket is about at a high level. I’m very happy about the five wickets.”Hafeez’ dismissal brought a leap and pumping fists from Kaushal, perhaps because his first wicket in this Test came so much easier than his first ever scalp, on debut. In the Boxing Day Test last year, Brendon McCullum had smeared Kaushal around Hagley Oval before succumbing to him in sight of a double ton. Yet, even on that day Kaushal suggested he was the kind of bowler who could turn Tests in an afternoon. McCullum had bludgeoned him relentlessly. His first 14 international overs had cost 104 runs. Still the ball was being thrown up on the green surface. McCullum’s slow-burn triple hundred had cemented his coming-of-age as a batsman. Kaushal was still too raw to know any route but attack.Smelling blood at the P Sara, Kaushal went on the hunt for a big haul, cleaning up the lower order that had set the Galle Test ablaze. Sarfraz Ahmed was cajoled into a booming drive following a series of sweeps, but the floating ball dived and jived, collected his inside edge, then popped up off the pad to slip. Wahab Riaz tried the sweep, but was out to a ball that slipped beneath his shot. Yasir Shah holed out, mishitting a doosra to Kumar Sangakkara, who has been pushing for Kaushal’s Test inclusion for at least a year.That Kaushal even ventures in the doosra at a time unorthodox spinners are being tracked down, tagged, and kept in domestic captivity, says something about his self-belief. As a wrist-spinning offbreak bowler, he is probably in a subset of two. In a steel and plaster brace, Muttiah Muralitharan did prove after all that the doosra could be delivered with nearly zero degrees of flexion, much less than the allowed 15.”Murali was my favourite bowler,” Kaushal said, confirming the suspicion almost anyone who has watched him bowl would arrive at. “My run-up is not like his, but I like his bowling. The turn he got and the doosra he bowled – maybe it’s because I saw him that I learned something similar. My biggest hope was to bowl well at this level. I performed in club cricket, but this was where I really wanted to make an impact.”He will not have five-wicket hauls come so easily in the time to come. Batsmen will study him. They will learn the shapes his fingers make, and formulate plans to unsettle him. But for now, it’s nice to know Sri Lanka continues to produce players like him. It’s nice to know cricket heresy lives on.

Stats highlights from a day dominated by Australia’s openers, and Kane Williamson

S Rajesh07-Nov-20154 Number of consecutive century stands for the first wicket for Australia; David Warner and Chris Rogers had put together century partnerships at Trent Bridge and The Oval in Australia’s last two innings of the 2015 Ashes series, while Warner and Joe Burns added 161 and 237 in this Test. It’s the first time in Test history that any team has managed four successive century partnerships for the first wicket. It’s also the first time any team has had two 150-plus opening partnerships in the same Test, and the first time Australia have had two century stands for the first wicket in a Test.3 Australian opening pairs who have had century stands in each of their first two partnerships in Tests. Warren Bardsley and Herbie Collins, who opened in the 1920s, got 123 and 116 in their first two partnerships, while Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer started with partnerships of 158, 224 and 223 in their first three innings.2 Instances of the same pair getting two 150-plus stands in a Test. The only previous instance was in 1938, by England’s Paul Gibb and Eddie Paynter, who added 184 and 168 against South Africa in Johannesburg.3 Batsmen who have scored a century in each innings of a Test three times. Before Warner, only Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting had achieved this. Warner had a scored a century in each innings twice in 2014 – against India in Adelaide, and against South Africa in Cape Town.398 Runs added by Warner and Burns in this Test, the fourth-best by an opening pair in a Test.479* Runs scored by Australia’s openers in the match, which equals the third-highest by the openers from a team in a Test. The highest in any Test is 550, by Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs against England at Edgbaston in 2003, while Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton added 536 at Lord’s against India in 1990. England’s Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe also scored exactly 479 against Australia in Melbourne in 1925.4.75 Australia’s run rate in this Test, their best against New Zealand, and their seventh-highest against any team.8 Number of Australian batsmen who have brought up their maiden Test hundred with a six. Before Burns, the others to achieve this were John Benaud, Ian Davis, Greg Mathews, Andrew Symonds, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, and Steven Smith.1 Number of New Zealand batsmen who have scored more in a Test innings at the Gabba than Kane Williamson’s 140. In New Zealand’s famous win here in 1985, Martin Crowe made 188.8 Number of different opposition teams against whom Williamson has scored at least one Test hundred. The only team missing from the list is Zimbabwe, against whom his highest in three innings is 68. Of his 11 Test hundreds, he has two each against India, Sri Lanka and West Indies, and one each against the others, excluding Zimbabwe.2077 Runs scored by Williamson in all international matches this year, which puts him on top of the list. Joe Root is next on 1934, followed by Steven Smith on 1923. In 2015, Williamson has scored 616 Test runs at an average of 102.66 (with three hundreds in seven innings), 1317 ODI runs at 57.26 (SR 90.32), and 144 T20I runs at 36 (SR 165.51).73.57 Williamson’s Test average since the beginning of 2014. Among batsmen with at least 1000 runs during this period only Smith has a higher average (74.96), while Root is next with an average of 71.20.38.07 New Zealand’s average partnership for each of the last five wickets, in Tests since the beginning of 2014. It’s easily the highest among all teams, and almost 35% better than the next-best, England’s 28.25. For each of the first five wickets, New Zealand’s average stand is 39.48, which is seventh among ten teams.* Nov 8, 1010GMT: This stat has been corrected to include two instances of more runs being scored by openers from a team in a Test.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2015Masood and Mohammad Hafeez put on a half-century opening stand…•AFP…before Moeen Ali struck, having Hafeez taken at short leg•Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow is mobbed after his second catch – a brilliant piece of work under the helmet – removed Shoaib Malik•Getty ImagesJames Anderson picked up Masood after lunch to leave Pakistan on 85 for 3•Getty ImagesMisbah-ul-Haq helped steady the innings during a stand of 93 with Younis Khan•Getty ImagesYounis passed fifty and was heading towards another landmark…•Getty Images…only to be caught down the leg side off Mark Wood•Getty ImagesYounis departed for 56. He needs another 47 runs to reach 9000 in Tests•AFPMisbah anchored Pakistan’s post-tea effort during a solid stand with Asad Shafiq•AFPThe captain brought up his century with two sixes in the final over of the day•AFPAt the other end, Shafiq finished on 46 not out and Pakistan could be happy with their position of 282 for 4•AFP

Punjab were bolstered by the presence of four members from the national squad in the Vijay Hazare trophy this season, but only managed to finish as contenders again. Instead of kicking on to secure the title

Shashank Kishore in Alur23-Dec-2015Punjab are high on the favourites list in the build up to every major domestic competition, but have somehow failed to shed the bridesmaid status. In the last three seasons alone, they had been pipped in the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy twice, while they couldn’t put it past Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final last year. Punjab had attracted greater interest this season, largely due to the presence of four players from the national squad.Yuvraj Singh hit blistering form with the bat, while Harbhajan Singh’s presence gave a lift to an otherwise inexperienced attack that had been further depleted by the injury to Sandeep Sharma.On Wednesday, Punjab felt the pinch the most as an unheralded Himachal Pradesh side, devoid of big stars, stunned Punjab in the first quarter-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Alur. Robin Bist, a domestic journeyman, played a key role in HP’s win, scoring his maiden List-A century in a manner few saw coming. It meant that Mandeep Singh’s well-crafted century ended in vain.Soon after the game, Harbhajan sat his team down in a circle on the field. An animated chat followed for the next 30 minutes, where most members of the team were left in rapt attention. While there wasn’t much to suggest stern words, there was some serious soul-searching. After they dispersed from the huddle, Harbhajan was back to his usual self.”More than the loss, I’m disappointed that we as a team didn’t give Mandeep another opportunity in that tournament,” Harbhajan lamented. “That kind of knock should have resulted in a win, but we didn’t take our chance. This was a defendable total by all means. We just didn’t convert our opportunities,” he said, hinting at the two missed run-outs of centurion Bist.Harbhajan expressed satisfaction at the progress of some of his younger colleagues, but stressed that a lot of ground work still had to be done if Punjab were to wear the champions tag, and not merely settle with the contenders tag.”Very honestly speaking, we have won games as individuals but there’s a lot to work on if we want to win championships,” he said. “I hope the boys will realise this. We have pulled through on individual performances, but haven’t been able to click as a unit even though we have come close a number of times. The team has to believe that we can win from any situation.”As the conversation wheeled towards Barinder Sran, Harbhajan put on the analyst’s hat. The left-arm pacer finished with figures of 1 for 55 in 10 overs, but the scorecard wouldn’t suggest the control he maintained in his first spell, which paved way for two breakthroughs from the other end.”His strength is his bounce,” Harbhajan said.”He is a strong lad and can bowl quick. He may look the 130 kph types, but believe me, having faced him in the nets, I can tell you that he can be a skiddy customer. He’s a lot sharper than he looks. He can swing the ball and has a good back-of-the-hand slower delivery which he executes well with the old ball.”It isn’t too often that Harbhajan isn’t asked about his own form, perhaps a good indication of where he is at the moment. Good returns in the ODIs against South Africa at home didn’t translate into an ODI call-up for Australia, but Harbhajan said the prospect of playing for India at the World T20 kept the fire burning, with the hope of adding to his two world titles being the motivating factor.”When you are out, you tend to try too many things. But the trick was to just keep it simple. It’s a funny game, you just need to have faith in your own abilities and back yourself,” Harbhajan said. “I’m happy with the way I’m bowling. I’m excited to share the dressing room once again with my good mates.”

Australia declared with Adam Voges unbeaten on 269. Here are five times teams declared with undefeated batsmen even nearer to a triple

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2015Javed Miandad 280*
Pakistan v India, Hyderabad, Sind, 1983
Declared on: third day after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat. He was involved in a 451-run stand with Mudassar Nazar, tying the then Test record for any wicket•PA PhotosAB de Villiers 278*
Pakistan v South Africa, Abu Dhabi, 2010
Declared on: second day, soon after tea once de Villiers broke the record for the highest individual score by a South African•AFPDaryll Cullinan 275*
New Zealand v South Africa, Auckland, 1999
Declared on: third morning, soon after Cullinan broke the record for the highest individual score by a South African•Getty ImagesStephen Fleming 274*
Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Colombo, 2003
Declared on: second day, just before stumps. Fleming was the captain, and he denied himself the chance to go past Martin Crowe’s 299, then the record for the highest Test score by a New Zealander•Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2015Reports suggested crowds might rival those seen in the Ashes. When 47,441 people attend, it’s tough to argue that, don’t you think?•Getty ImagesAmong those present was Barry Richards, who played World Series cricket under lights in 1977-79. Things have certainly changed since then. Especially the bats.•Cricket AustraliaIt was also a year since Phillip Hughes died, suffering a fatal blow while playing cricket•Getty ImagesUnder such immense weight of occasion, action got underway. Martin Guptill, who faced the first ball, also became the first wicket in day-night Tests. Josh Hazlewood had him lbw for 1•Getty ImagesThe other New Zealand opener Tom Latham struck a nuggety half-century. There were no great demons from a grassy pitch or the pink ball.•Getty ImagesBut Australia got a boost as Kane Williamson was trapped lbw by a searing yorker from Mitchell Starc just before the tea break•Getty ImagesLatham was dismissed soon after tea, Peter Nevill taking a stunning catch off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. New Zealand were 3 for 94•Getty ImagesThat was enough of an opening for Peter Siddle to get rid of Ross Taylor to claim his 199th Test wicket•Getty ImagesThen Starc returned to dismiss Brendon McCullum for a duck. Although he had to leave Adelaide Oval owing to a hurt ankle•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesNew Zealand were 5 for 98 and BJ Watling tried to marshall the tail with his 29 off 80 balls•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesBut Australia managed to break through the resistance, Siddle managed to claim his 200th Test wicket and all New Zealand managed was 202•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesTrent Boult provided the early breakthrough New Zealand – David Warner for 1 in the fourth over•Getty ImagesAustralia then lost Joe Burns, but Steven Smith and Adam Voges played out the day, as the hosts ended at 2 for 54•Getty ImagesJust what the fans wanted, who came in by the droves and enjoyed an even contest between bat and ball for the first time in the series•Getty Images