"At no stage did I think we weren't going to declare" - Sam Northeast reveals why he didn't surpass Brian Lara's record score
Glamorgan batter Sam Northeast opened up on not making the highest first-class score when he had the opportunity against Leicestershire at Leicester in the match which commenced on July 20. The right-handed batter revealed that Glamorgan's win held priority over breaking Brian Lara's 501*.
Northeast has the chance to surpass the West Indian's record in first-class cricket; however, Glamorgan captain David Lloyd denied him the chance. Llloyd declared at lunch on the final day of the game (July 23) when the team score was at 795-5 and the 32-year-old had reached 410*.
SAM NORTHEAST GOES TO 4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
No words.
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Speaking to RSN Radio (via the Mirror), he revealed that coach Matthew Maynard offered him the chance to rewrite history as it might never come again. Simultaneously, Maynard reminded him of the need to win the game, which the team also stuck to.
The batsman said:
"Matt Maynard, our coach, came and said 'If you want to go for it, then do it. We have got a game to win here, but I understand you are never going to get an opportunity to break the record.' We sort of agreed as a team that wasn't going to be the case.
"A lot of my mates were saying 'stuff the team, go and get Lara's record.' But at no stage did I think we weren't going to declare and I was going to go for the record."
The Kent-born cricketer's score was the third-highest in the history of the competition and the ninth-highest in first-class cricket. Lara's 501* for Warwickshire against Durham back in 1994 remains at the top of the chart. However, the decision to declare proved to be the right one as Glamorgan romped to victory by an inning.
"It was beyond my wildest imagination" - Sam Northeast
Northeast underlined that it was a highly memorable day, knowing he joined some of the greats of the game and a win made it all the more special. He told the Daily Mail:
"Just looking at the list of players who have scored 400 before, there are some greats of the game. It was a special day and to top it off with a win makes it a game I will remember forever, for sure.
"When I came off at lunch, I remember just looking at Matt Maynard, the coach, and thinking: 'What has just happened here? It was beyond my wildest imagination. Even saying it back it doesn't really seem true. It's almost fantasy land."
Sam Northeast's first-class batting average has risen from 38.77 to 40.15 in the course of one innings.
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The right-handed batter has amassed 1127 runs in ten matches in Division Two of the County Championship at 75.13 with two centuries and five fifties.