Jason Gillespie scores 201 not out

[Plubby]

Dizzy attains great heights

By Toby Forage

Fox Sports editor

April 19, 2006

JASON Gillespie completed a magnificent double century on day four of the second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong today.

The nightwatchman made 201 not out from 425 balls, adding 99 runs to his overnight 102 before Australia captain Ricky Ponting decalared the tourist's first innings at 4-581, 384 runs ahead of the Tigers' first innings of 197.

Michael Clarke was the other undefeated batsman when Ponting called time, walking off the pitch on 23 not out.

Gillespie lost just one partner today, with Michael Hussey mistiming a hook shot off Aftab Ahmed to the deep mid-wicket boundary in the morning session.

Shahadat Hossain took a simple catch, sending the increasingly impressive West Australian left hander packing for 182.

The hundred was Hussey's fourth in just 11 Tests, and he passed three figures off 134 balls.

Other than the occasional flurry of boundaries, the morning session was reasonably uneventful.

Hussey and Gillespie put on 320 for the fourth wicket, the former scoring the quicker while Gillespie continued to chip away, slapping a couple of sixes when the mood struck.

Gillespie has now registered the highest score by a Test tailender in history, and has broken the record by some distance.

Previously, only two other batsmen had passed 100 as recognised tailenders: Tony Mann, who scored 105 for Australia in Perth against India in 1977-1978, and Pakistan's Nasin Ul-Ghani, who plundered 101 against England at Lord's in 1962.

Gillespie has extraordinary numbers for this two-match series, averaging more than 200 with the bat and less than 10 with the ball.

There were plenty of players expected to pump up their statistics in Bangladesh, but Gillespie was not one of them, having only been recalled a fortnight ago to replace the injured Michael Kasprowicz.

[Troy Maskell]

It's a great innings and all and more power to Jason but scoring 200 against Bangladesh is like saying you scored 200 against the Durham under 12's

[Mongrel]

I love Dizzy. Great double for the man.

First Western Bulldogs supporter to make a test century aswell, beating out Merv Hughes and his 74 against the Windies.

[Chris the Human]

I will not be satisfied until Stuart McGill does it.

[The Slickman]

Wow . A Tailender shouldnt be doing that. Hope he gets all these runs out of the way before the Ashes

[Mongrel]

The sad thing is, Dizzy is probably going to be dropped the test after making 201*, i.e. the first Ashes test because McGrath has to come back in.

[The LBTN Express]

He's playing for Yorkshire this season so hopefully he continue this form and have a great year so we can have a decent season.

Edited April 28, 2006 by LBTN™