How England’s world record was broken on pitch ‘unfit for Test cricket’ as bizarre clash left legend fuming

ENGLAND’S satellite grounds was breached connected a transportation “unfit for Test cricket”, according to a fable of the sport.

England person agelong been a bastion of large batting connected the cricket field.

And they archetypal acceptable an unthinkable grounds for astir runs successful a crippled with 849 against the West Indies successful their 1929/30 clash.

But conscionable 8 years aboriginal England smashed their ain record.

They execute a people of 903-7 successful 1938’s clash against Australia.

And that grounds lasted 59 years earlier it came crashing down, with Sri Lanka present holding the existent winning record.

They deed a people of 952-6 against India successful 1997.

The grounds has lasted to this day, adjacent though England are hoping to reclaim their crown with a current people of 823-7 successful their ongoing lucifer with Pakistan.

But skipper Joe Root, presently the fifth-highest starring Test tally scorer with 12,664, inactive has enactment to do.

That’s due to the fact that Sri Lanka had nary different purpose than to smash England’s erstwhile grounds from 1938 implicit a 4th of a period ago.

CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

They accepted that their lucifer against India, who had made 537 for 8, would beryllium a gully connected a dormant pitch.

And successful the rout, Sanath Jayasuriya adjacent recorded the fourth-highest people successful a Test lucifer with 340 runs from 578 balls — conscionable shy of Brian Lara’s grounds of 375.

He said astatine the time: “I was blessed to spell each that way. I wasn’t going aft the record.

“At slightest not until the extremity of the 4th day, erstwhile idiosyncratic told maine I was lone 50 short.

“I felt a large unit erstwhile I came retired to bat and evidently I americium disappointed present — but astatine slightest my state has made a large achievement.”

The grounds Sri Lanka people did not spell down good with India cricket fable Sachin Tendulkar though, with the two-Test bid ending successful a 0-0 stalemate.

He reckons the transportation for the lucifer was “unfit for Test cricket”, and besides reckoned India could person deed the grounds if they had battered second.

Tendulkar, who remains the leading Test tally scorer with 15,921, added: “If we mislaid the flip and batted second, we could besides person played a monolithic innings.

“We lone mislaid wickets due to the fact that we took chances and looked for runs.”