West Indies captain Brian Lara became the fastest batsman to score 10 000 Test runs when he made seven against England in the third Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday.
Left-hander Lara, only the fourth man to score 10 000 Test runs, reached the landmark in his 111th Test and 195th innings.
That was 13 matches quicker and 17 innings fewer than India great Sunil Gavaskar who had previously been the quickest Test batsman to five figures.
He reached the landmark with a square driven four off all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who bowled him for nought in the first innings.
But having scored exactly 10 000 runs, Lara was out to his fourth ball when he edged Flintoff, on the Lancashire all-rounder’s home ground, to second-slip Andrew Strauss.
In April this year the 35-year-old Lara scored a Test world-record 400 not out, against England in Antigua.
Australian duo Allan Border and Steve Waugh are the other batsmen to have scored 10 000 Test runs. — Sapa-AFP