CRICKETING IMMORTALITY for world-beating McMillan

CRAIG DOUGLAS MCMILLAN earned immortality this afternoon with a once-in-a-lifetime display of scintillating shot-making that saw him score a world record 26 runs in one over that he smashed out of the ordinary and into the annals of cricketing legend.

Aspiring cricketers dreaming of emulating the feats of the games greatest - Sir Garfield Sobers who hit six sixes against Glamorgan; the masterblaster Vivian Richards who tore bowlers aparts; Ian Botham who did likewise; the genius of brothers Greg and Ian Chappell; and of course the modern stars Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulker and the twins Mark and Steve Waugh - will now add C.D McMillan to their list of heroes as the owner of that most treasured of sporting records - the most runs scored in an over of test cricket.

On a day when the New Zealand openers Mathew Bell and Mark Richardson again proved their outstanding form by both notching centuries it was going to take something very special to knock them from the pedastel as the Kiwi headline hoggers.

The feisty, mercurial and talent-laden McMillan was one player capable of outdoing his openers and the fact he consigned their feats to foggy memory without even scoring a ton himself points to an afternoon of absolutely incredible cricket.

Facing up to Younis Khan McMillan dispatched the first ball of the over to the boundary fence by batting left-handed and getting under the ball and hitting to the boundary for four.

The second ball was sent for four in the same unorthodox style and McMillan rattled Khan by smashing the third consecutive ball to the fence with a classic pull shot. The confident McMillan really shattered the bowlers nerve when he reverted to the left again to send the fourth ball away to the 3rd man boundary.

A roaring crowd screamed their appreciation when McMillan remained on target for the world record by crashing the fifth ball down the ground for a sensational six and when he followed that up with the obligatory sixth bondary off the sixth ball to take his tally to world record 26 runs the fans went mental and the brilliant Cantabrian punched air in celebration of a effort that will likely never be emulated or equalled for all eternity.

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