Up to the Challenge

In recent cricket matches there have been some exceptionally high scores by some teams. It started off with Australia breaking - in fact smashing - the world record for the highest team total in a one-day match. Their total was 434. Until that day no-one had even made 400.


Of course, that record lasted just 4 hours, as South Africa replied with 438 to win one of the more amazing - and perhaps bizarre - games of cricket in recent memory. [scorecard]

And then in the final of Australia's national cricket competition, Queensland declared their innings closed at 900, to defeat Victoria by an innings an 354 runs. A greater margin would be hard to imagine.

So what's the reason behind this sudden run of high scores? What takes Australia from being bowled out for 93, to breaking the world record? How did South Africa manage to surpass such an amazing score? How does Queensland make the highest score ever made in an Australian cricket final?


We could put it down to small cricket grounds or poor bowling, but there's always been a plenty of each of those. I reckon the answer lies in motivation. Australia had trailed 2-0 in that 5 match series. Determined to win the series, and having clawed themselves back to a 2-2 scoreline, it was vital to make a big total - lest all their efforts be in vain.

For South Africa, who had led the series 2-0, it would be heart-breaking to let it slip. The challenge had been set. They knew that to win the match they would have to perform at a level far above that which had ever been required before. And they did!

Queensland, with players away in that Australian side, also had to perform well above their average if they were to win the final. Parts of the state had also been savaged by Cyclone Larry - and the players dedicated their performance to the victims of that disaster. The result was a massive innings in which four players exceeded 150 - the only time this has ever happened in national or international cricket.


So it would seem that phenomenal feats are possible when we put our minds to it. So why doesn't this happen more often. Is it that we (as human beings) are generally slackers? Or is it that under exceptional circumstances we can summon up the strength, focus and determination to do things that would otherwise be impossible? I don't know the answer. I'm not sure i ever will. But i'll tell you this - it certainly makes for entertaining cricket!