Wednesday, March 20, 2002 Double-centuries have been the talk of world cricket after the fireworks from Nathan Astle and Adam Gilchrist. They are both natural hitters like Chris Cairns and Shahid Afridi, and natural hitters find it difficult to stay at the crease and block six balls in a row. That is why they produce such spectacular results if they manage to bat for long enough.

Gilchrist is the best player in the Australian team. He is an attacking cricketer, who can bat at any position in the order. His natural game is to go on the offensive, and when he bats at No. 7 for Australia he has little to lose by trying to get as many runs as he can while the tail hangs around. Bowlers have usually been worn out by the Australian top order before Gilchrist arrives at the wicket, which also helps his all-out assault.

Astle is another attacking player, but you only get the chance to play that kind of innings once in a lifetime. It is a great feeling when everything goes for you, but it rarely works like that. Even so, to pull it off you have to be in complete command of your game and the opposition bowlers. You also have to make instant decisions about the right stroke to play. It might only go for you so spectacularly once in a lifetime but you still need immense skill and judgment to pull it off. His 153-ball double-hundred in Christchurch was a memorable performance.

One-day cricket is the main reason why batsmen are now scoring quicker in Tests. It has given players more ideas about how to hit the ball and also given them a chance to perfect their hitting technique. Another factor is that batsmen are more and more familiar with opposing bowlers because of the proliferation of Test matches and one-day tournaments. In my day there was a real uncertainty about facing bowlers that you rarely came across. I also think that many of today's teams, with Australia being the obvious exception, do not have enough class in their bowling. There are a couple of key bowlers and the rest are vulnerable.

Many double-centuries will still be made the traditional way. You have to be ambitious and determined to occupy the crease for at least three hours. Once you score the first hundred, you have to put it out of your mind and begin again on the second one. Many players fail to go on simply because they lack concentration and do not have the desire to score heavily.

I found that the biggest spur for me was once I had scored my first double-century, I wanted to score more. And each time I reached a hundred I had Garry Sobers's 365 in the back of my mind, as well as a burning desire to score over 8000 Test runs. That hunger helped me to six Test double-hundreds in my career. It is good to see them back with a bang.

Javed Miandad, Pakistan's most prolific batsman and later their coach, was talking to Kamran Abbasi. His column appears every Wednesday.

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