BC Lara not out 400

Stuart: Lara sweeps and there it is - 400. Have you got some statistics for us, Gordon? When was the last time someone scored 400 in a Test match?

(Muffled speech in the background)

Stuart: No, I meant an individual. It's not so unusual for a team to score 400.

(More muffled speech )

Stuart: No, Gordon, there isn't a batsman called Australia. I'm quite certain of that. That's a team of 11 players representing the nation of Australia.

(Muffled speech )

Stuart: Really? No one's ever done it before? Are you sure? What did Boycott get against New Zealand in Wellington in '78?

(Muffled speech )

Stuart: Caught off Collinge for 77? Oh… I thought it was much more than that. It seemed much more than that. So no one's ever made 400 until now. How bizarre. What are the chances?

Ash: Yeah, first time, Stu, but not an innings that'll live long in the memory.

Stuart: Really? You don't think?

Ash: It was a solid effort, but look at the strike rate. He was barely scoring at four an over.

Stuart: I think that's quite quick scoring. Gordon, could you give us the average strike rate for Test cricket?

Ash: He's only hit four Global Banking Incorporated Sixers in his entire innings - one per hundred.

Stuart: It's not all about sixes, Ash.

Ash: Tell that to Ridley Jacobs. He's hit three sixers in an innings of 107.

Stuart: Are you saying that Jacobs' is the better innings?

Ash: Pound for pound, the keeper's played the better knock here, Stu.

Stuart: That's preposterous. Besides, you pointed to Lara's strike rate. Lara's scored his runs at a faster rate than Jacobs, so even on that basis, his is the better innings.

Ash: But how many sixers has he hit?

Stuart: Four.

Ash: And how many has Jacobs hit?

Stuart: Three.

Ash: Okay, I'll give you that. Lara's innings is one better than Jacobs, but it's still nothing to write home about.

Stuart: You can't measure an innings in sixes, Ash.

Ash: A sixer is a unit of measurement.

Stuart: No, a run is a unit of measurement. A six is - well - it's six units.

Ash: So one sixer is worth six?

Stuart: Of course.

Ash: So it's more important than a run, then.

Stuart: I guess you could say it's six times as important.

Ash: Exactly. I couldn't have put it better myself. The game's all about sixers, Stu. That's what gets the fans in.

(Muffled speech )

Stuart: No Gordon, that's not what strike rate is. When a batsman doesn't come to the crease, it's rarely as a result of industrial action.

Ash: Worst quadruple-hundred I've ever seen in a Test match.

Stuart: Okay, it's been a long, hot day and we're all a bit grumpy. Why don't we celebrate Lara's achievement - no matter how significant it proves to be - with a nice slice of battenburg? How does that sound?