Cullinan loses sleep over run feast (22 March 1999)

22 March 1999

Cullinan loses sleep over run feast

The Christchurch Press

South African batsman Daryll Cullinan has been scoring so many runs against New Zealand it is keeping him awake - though giving the Black Caps bowlers' nightmares.

Cullinan has been having trouble sleeping after his South African record-setting score of 275 not out in the first test at Auckland. He was not needed in the second test at Christchurch and then hit another 152 in Wellington on Saturday.

The avalanche of runs has returned him the astronomical average of 427, the best in test history for a three-test series, but he has been losing some sleep over it.

The 11-hour epic at Eden Park was so draining, Cullinan has admitted he has had trouble winding down and resting at night.

Having finally started to settle back into a more regular routine, Cullinan then went out and concentrated hard again at the Basin Reserve batting five and a half hours before his first and only dismissal. In his 152 he faced 272 balls and hit 22 fours.

While he may have lost some sleep he at least has the consolation of knowing that his test batting average over all has risen to just over 43.

Cullinan has been given sleeping problems before by a bowler but then it was of the horror kind with Australian Shane Warne regularly claiming his scalp.

Cullinan, a teenage batting prodigy, who made his maiden first-class century at 16, was tormented by Warne and became his batting bunny. He was dropped from the team at one stage but has returned stronger and in the past year has scored five test tons.

In the past five tests, three against New Zealand and the final two against West Indies, South African batsmen have scored 11 100s.

A batting camp conducted last September in South Africa is being credited by Cullinan for the run-scoring flood.

New Zealand has not had a single century-maker in this series.

Another South African to head home with a bumper average is Herschelle Gibbs whose three innings' aggregate is 365, average 185.5. Gibbs, who started the series with a modest over-all average of 20, is now up to 37.

Jonty Rhodes, with three first-class centuries outside the tests, has an over-all tour average of 198. Jacques Kallis had his test-best score of 148 not out in Christchurch to boost his statistics while Gary Kirsten's consistent series scores of 127, 65, and 40 has his average above 40.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)