T20 sparks major run deluge

AP

Michael Doman and AP

The world record individual score of 219 in a one-day international by India’s Virender Sehwag yesterday provided more proof of the positive influence of Twenty20 cricket on the game.

Sehwag’s tour-de-force – he cracked 25 fours and seven sixes for a total of 142 runs in boundaries in his 149-ball 219 – bettered long-time teammate Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 200, attained against South Africa in Gwalior last year.

Sehwag’s blitz against the West Indies in Indore helped his side clinch a 3-1 series victory, with one match left to play in Chennai on Sunday.

Surprisingly, the hard-hitting Sehwag’s pyrotechnics did not form part of a world record team total – that accolade belongs to Sri Lanka, whose 443-9 against the Netherlands in Amstelveen five years ago is the best in this regard.

India’s 418-5 against their Caribbean counterparts yesterday is only the joint fourth highest total in ODIs, being bettered also by the 438-9 by South Africa to beat the 434-4 of Australia at the Wanderers in 2006.

The new record came a day before the South African One-day Cup final between the Cape Cobras and the Warriors at Newlands today.

Scores have been higher on average at Highveld venues in the 50-over format this season, but there have been predictions that an individual double hundred will be scored soon in the domestic 50-over format.

Premier world all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who plays for the Cobras, said T20 cricket had changed the face of the one-day game.

“The game has moved forward,” he said ahead of today’s final.

One batsman who many would tip to be the first to reach a double century in the 50-over format domestically is the Cobras’ Richard Levi, whose effortless boundary-striking earned him 57-ball score of 110 against the Lions at the Wanderers last month. When he got out, there was still more than half the innings left.

Levi hits a high proportion of sixes in his innings, which makes his chances of reaching 200 that much greater.

Another barnstorming opening bat who could achieve the double-ton feat first in domestic competition is the Dolphins’ Loots Bosman.

In South African domestic cricket there are two scores of 200 or more in limited overs competition – the 222 not out by Graeme Pollock for Eastern Province against Border in the 1974/75 season and the 202 not out by Alan Barrow for Natal against the SA African XI a season later.

The highest team total is the 438 by the Proteas to clinch a one-day series against the Aussies in 2006.

Today Tendulkar was quoted as saying: “I am very happy for (Virender) and also the fact that someone who has broken my record is my teammate and an Indian.”

Tendulkar sat out the on-going five-game series along with regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which provided Sehwag the opportunity to register his first century as Indian captain. The 33-year-old Delhi batsman powered India to their best ever ODI score.

And Sehwag conceded it was a special feeling to have broken Tendulkar’s record.

“It’s great to get past Sachin’s record because he has been my role model,” Sehwag said. “Scoring a double-hundred is never easy and over the last so many years, only two people have done it.”

The 33-year-old crossed the 200-run mark with a four through point off pace bowler Andre Russell in only the 44th over of the innings. He was finally dismissed in the 47th over.

Sehwag’s big-hitting has seen him score two Test triple-centuries as well coming close to a third, but he considers the Indore knock to be his best.

“I would rate this as one of my very best, even better than my triple centuries in Tests because in Tests, you have plenty of time to score runs,” said Sehwag, who scored 309 against Pakistan at Multan in 2004, 319 against South Africa at Chennai in 2008, and 293 against Sri Lanka at Mumbai in 2009.

“This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for the amazing feat,” former India captain Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying in The Times of India. “He is a gambler, a player who loves to take risks.”

Sehwag, who played a number of his trademark aerial shots during the 149-ball innings, saw West Indies captain Darren Sammy drop an easy catch off pace bowler Ravi Rampaul on 170 and conceded luck was on his side.