Carberry recovers from illness with career-best
Nine months after due to a blood clot in his lung stalled his career Michael Carberry has posted 300 not out, a career-best, sharing a mammoth 523-run stand with Neil McK
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Aug-2011
Michael Carberry played a Test for England in Bangladesh last year before suffering a career-threatening injury • Getty Images
In November 2010 news emerged that Michael Carberry was unable to tour Australia with the England Performance Programme due to a blood clot in his lung. Nine months on he has posted 300 not out, a career-best, sharing a mammoth 523-run stand with Neil McKenzie for Hampshire against Yorkshire.
The career-threatening illness was treated last winter but he was unable to take long-haul flights and began the 2011 county summer uncertain whether he will be able to play regularly for Hampshire.
Having not played any cricket since last September he returned for Hampshire 2nd XI though on July 6 and made his first Championship appearance of the season a week later at Hove.
That alone was a remarkable comeback and a display of the tenacity that Carberry has shown throughout his career. He has fought back from frustrating periods early in his career at Kent and Surrey before making Hampshire his home in 2007. Since that move he has been a consistent run-scorer and impressed enough to earn an England Test cap against Bangladesh in March last year.
His triple hundred here is a career-best and was constructed fluently over Thursday and Friday on an admittedly benign Rose Bowl track. The innings lasted 427 balls and he struck 43 fours and two sixes in all.
"This was only my third match back in the team and I cannot believe it has gone so well," he said afterwards. "It has been well documented that I had blood clots on the lung and it has taken nine months out of my life. I am lucky just to be playing again so to get 300 exceeded all my expectations.''
With McKenzie making 237 himself, the pair looked set to beat the all-time best partnership in England of 555 between Yorkshire's Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe against Essex at Leyton. McKenzie, though, fell shortly after tea on the fourth day and the pair had to settle for the record for best 3rd-wicket stand in Championship history.