CHRISTOPHER MARTIN JENKINS: Graham Gooch, bowled Prabhakar 333. Almost the world stopped for a second in amazement, and then the crowd erupted in congratulations for Prabhakar and still greater congratulations for the England captain, Graham Gooch of Essex, who has succumbed at what some people might think is an unlucky score of 333. He and the crowd who saw it will never forget this innings. Off comes his white helmet, up comes his weighty blade, risen to the crowd …
FAROKH ENGINEER: Lovely to see the whole England team clapping him all the way to the pavilion. The non-striker Robin Smith, his bat down, his gloves off, clapping him. I think even [umpire] Dickie Bird had a few claps and it’s fantastic – what a superb innings and the proverbial Nelson has done it again, 333.
CMJ: Done it again? When did you last see it done?
• • •
Later in the match, India needed 24 to avoid the follow-on with their last pair together, Hirwani and the great Kapil Dev.
CHRISTOPHER MARTIN JENKINS: There’s a forward short leg as the only close fielder and a man at fine leg about 15 yards in from the fence. There are four men out towards the leg-side boundary, two on the off side and a forward short leg. Up comes Hemmings. He bowls – and this is a big hit. It has gone right over the sightscreen for a six! And a massive stroke it was. It hit the little bit of tarpaulin that separates the two new stands, and it would have gone halfway into the Nursery ground if that hadn’t stopped it. It takes Kapil Dev to 59. The total to 436 for 9. 454 is the magic figure …
Hemmings bowls, down the pitch he comes, tries it again, it’s going to be another six! Over long on, miles over long on. It was about nine again, not six.
TREVOR BAILEY: Lovely shot. He doesn’t half hit the ball. It’s the high backlift. And now I reckon he wants a single.
CMJ: 65 to him – what a marvellous bit of batting by Kapil Dev. Hemmings quite rightly giving him the bait. He comes in now and that’s a bit flatter. He goes for the hit again. He could be caught … no, it’s another six! Three in a row! That was lower and even harder off a ball that was not tossed up. Eighteen off three balls.
BILL FRINDALL: That’s equalled the world record for three successive sixes, the most ever hit. Sylvester Clarke and Walter Hammond – but not in the same match.
CMJ: This has been one of the best morning’s cricket I have ever seen, I think. 448 for 9. Kapil Dev 71 not out. And now India, from being absolutely at the Gates of Doom so to speak, if you consider the follow-on in cricketing terms potential doom anyway, now they are at the Gates of Paradise, because they need only six more – and that can be done in one shot.
TB: It’s a very difficult one. I can’t read Kapil Dev’s mind.
CMJ: One more ball in the over.
TB: My own feeling is go for the single now. But I think he might go for another biggie.
CMJ: You didn’t often go for four sixes in a row, Trevor. Well, here’s the last ball of the over. Hemmings bowls it. Kapil Dev is going for the big hit. It’s going to do it, is it? He’s done it! He’s saved the follow-on. He’s broken a world record. He shakes his fist to the Indian dressing room and if that isn’t one of the most remarkable things you’ve ever seen in cricket, I don’t know what is. Four sixes in a row, just when England seemed to have it all sewn up. Fantastic batting.
TB: I’m speechless. I’ve never seen that happen before. I don’t think I shall ever see it happen again.
CMJ: He’s smiling, as well he might.
BF: He’s not only beaten the record for the most sixes off consecutive balls, he’s equalled the record for the most runs in a six-ball over. That’s the fourth instance of 24.
TB: And in that situation!
CMJ: Incredible. Well, 454 for 9, Fraser bowls to Hirwani. It keeps low. He’s lbw! Well, what an extraordinary game is cricket and what a wonderful game this has been.
England v India, Lord’s, July 1990
• • •
CHRISTOPHER MARTIN JENKINS: He’s 98 not out and Fraser bowls to him. He drives it through mid-off and this is Sachin Tendulkar’s first Test hundred, driven up towards the mid-off boundary. Lewis in pursuit, but they’ll get three runs for it. And this 17-year-old has become the second youngest Test centurion in cricket history. What a wonderful performance. He takes off his helmet and politely waves his bat to the crowd at Old Trafford who stand to a man, woman and child to congratulate him. A heroic performance – really the stuff of which schoolboy novels were made.
England v India, Old Trafford, August 1990