5 iconic shots in cricket history

While no single cricket shot has determined the outcome of an entire match, there have been certain shots which have assumed far greater significance than others either because of the context in which they were played or due to the role they played in revolutionizing the sport.Here are the five most iconic shots in cricket history:

#5 Brian Laras pull shot to surpass Garry Sobers world record score of 365

It was apparent as soon as Brian Lara made his debut for the West Indies that here was a player with special gifts, and his record-breaking 375 against England at Antigua in 1994 only reaffirmed that notion.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bat on day 1 of the Test on a pretty placid pitch, but lost the wicket of Stuart Williams early. That brought Lara to the crease, much to the delight of the large West Indian crowd, and he put on a batting feast for all those watching over the next two days. He notched up his triple hundred late on Day 2 and finished the day not out on 320.

With West Indies sitting comfortably on 502/4 going into Day 3 and any result other than a draw seeming unlikely, the main interest was to see if Lara could surpass Sir Gary Sobers’ world record score of 365, which had been amassed against Pakistan in 1958. And Lara didn’t disappoint, as he quickly levelled Sobers on 365 before pulling a short delivery from Chris Lewis for four to the midwicket fence and surpassing the great man.

Sobers was himself present on the ground that day and acknowledged Lara’s efforts, remarking at the time, "I don't think a better person could have broken my record."