Records are Made to be Broken

For anyone who grew up, as I did, obsessed with cricket statistics (as well as every other aspect of the game), the breaking of records such as the highest partnership in Test and first-class cricket history carries particular significance, and I was strangely tense as I counted the runs down on Cricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary on the Sri Lanka-South Africa Test at the SSC in Colombo this morning.

After the stand between Kumar Sangakkara and his close friend Mahela Jayawardene had ended on 624 I reflected on the fact that it's gratifying that the runs were made against a relatively strong attack, although it was clearly rendered impotent by a combination of unforgiving conditions and fine batting.

Sangakkara, with a number of assured starts which failed to develop, and Jayawardene, with his superb batting at Lord's in particular, gave hints of what they were capable of on their team's tour of England earlier this summer.

Even after a quarter-century of Test cricket, Sri Lankan players still tend to be underestimated, but Sangakkara and Jayawardene are unquestionably among the finest batsmen operating in the world today.

Just look in the book.