Harry Brook Record Alert: The Basin Reserve in New Zealand had its own beauties to watch but they were all put to waste when an English newcomer took the ongoing Test against the hosts by the scruff of its neck and dumped it across the ropes way too frequently as the spectators watched in blatant awe with the scorecard ticking faster than a jet plane.
Coming out to bat at time when England was 21 for the loss of 3 with the hosts being chuffed about the fact that they have finally started to show the signs of preponderance that is expected to be showcased in one’s backyard, Joe Root and Harry Brook had completely different plans. Joe Root went on with signature slow build up, not intending to up the ante shortly but Brook, being the aggressor that he is, chose to rock and roll and what followed thereafter was nothing but rampage.
Harry Brook was in swashbuckling touch, knitting strikes that knew no ends and every poor ball was punished with extreme prejudice. He hammered five maximums coupled with 24 fours, as New Zealand stood blatant onlookers to what was stuff of fire forged right at Mount Doom.
The English middle-order batter came forth like a ray of sunshine after an interminable period of gloom as his first nine innings in Test cricket saw him shattering an incredible record that stood the test of time as Vinod Kambli held it for a staggering period.
Indian southpaw, Kambli was the man with the highest number of runs in the antiquity of Test cricket with 798 runs. But eventually Harry Brook was the man who managed to walk away with bragging rights after a rollicking knock that saw him amass 807 runs from the first 9 games.
He currently is sitting atop a stunning Test average of 100.87 from his first nine Tests and that saw him shattering quite a few runs.
Here are the four batters that Harry Brook left behind with that incredible feat as he currently tops the Test average.
#1 Don Bradman – 99.94
The Don Bradman, the finest ever batter to have graced this planet with his cricketing acumen and a knack for those brilliant knocks, makes him the best to be featured on this list. When it comes to Test cricket’s batting average being compared, nothing comes close to the man’s illustrious numbers. Brook has just started his career at the moment and has a long road to go. But the Don finished his Test career with an average of 99.94.
#2 Sid Barnes – 63.05
Another Australian batter to have created a reign of terror for the bowlers in his heydays, romping relentlessly against the bowlers from around every nook and cranny of the world, Sid Barnes features second in this list as he featured in 13 Test matches where he played 19 innings and amassed 1072 runs and finished his illustrious Test career at an average of 63.05.
#3 Adam Voges – 61.88
Not one of those frequent names to have taken the field in the whites but Adam Voges, the Aussie who was a part of 20 fixtures in the longest format of the game and played in 31 innings, managed to smash 1485 runs at an average of 61.88 where he had a couple of double centuries and 5 blistering tons.
#4 Graeme Pollock – 60.97
Another towering name hailing all the way from South Africa, Graeme Pollock was one of those explicit enforcers of the brutality on the bowlers and wherever he went, carnage followed. From 23 Tests he scored 2256 runs and fired them at a strike rate of 60.97. He hammered 7 centuries and 11 fifties en route to his glory days.
