April 26, 2012
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has become the 10th batsman and the second West Indian to pass 10,000 runs in Test matches, reaching the mark on the fourth day of the third Test against Australia at Windsor Park in Dominica.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul acknowledges the applause after scoring his 10,000th Test run
April 26, 2012
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has become the 10th batsman and the second West Indian to pass 10,000 runs in Test matches, reaching the mark on the fourth day of the third Test against Australia at Windsor Park in Dominica.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul acknowledges the applause after scoring his 10,000th Test run
In keeping with much of his career, Chanderpaul passed 10,000 in the midst of a desperate Caribbean fight in the fourth innings to stave off defeat at the hands of the Australians on a deteriorating pitch, moving forward from his inimitable stance to push a delivery from Michael Clarke wide of mid-on and go to 14 for his innings.
Chanderpaul reached the milestone in his 140th Test, emulating Brian Lara's feat of also passing 10,000 for the West Indies. He was congratulated warmly by the Roseau crowd and also by Australia's fielders, who all applauded once the single was taken. The 10,000th run also served to take his Test match batting average back above 50.
Earlier in the series Chanderpaul had surpassed Lara as the highest run-scorer of all West Indian batsmen at Kensington Oval in Barbados, and said at the time that he had always taken particular satisfaction from runs made against Australia, as they are always hard-earned.
"Always a tough, tough opposition and you always have to fight and it is always well to do well against them," he said. "There are always things at the back of your mind because you always want to do well.
"Against an opposition like Australia if you're doing well against them you know the world is watching. When you go against them you have to bring your A game. You can't just walk out and decide that you can play anyhow against them. You have to step up."
At 37, Chanderpaul has witnessed many barren years in West Indies cricket, but has expressed optimism that the team is showing signs of significant improvement under the captaincy of Darren Sammy and the coaching of Ottis Gibson. This has encouraged him to prolong his career, having debuted against England in his home country of Guyana in March 1994.
"We all can see it, the guys are getting better, the younger players are coming through," Chanderpaul had said in Barbados. "That's what we've been aiming for over the years, you want to see the younger players come through. Now we're seeing it and that's the future, we have to plan that way."
Chanderpaul is doing his best to support this development with his bat, again leading the averages and aggregates against Australia.
Courtesy: cricinfo
