On the third day of the Multan Test, Brian Lara [Images] achieved the rare feat of scoring a hundred before lunch. Lara has now performed this feat on two separate occasions. The other such occasion for Lara was against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003-04.

Lara is also only the sixth batsman to score a hundred in pre-lunch session after starting his innings in that session.

Hundred before Lunch on first day

Hundred before Lunch on other days

Fastest 100s in Test cricket

Lara's 77-ball hundred is the joint seventh fastest hundred in Test cricket. It was also the fastest from Lara's bat (his previous fastest had come off 82 balls against Australia at St. John's in 1998-99).

The following table lists the fastest hundreds in Test cricket:

Lara levels with Gavaskar

The hundred was 34^th for Lara, which puts him ahead of Steve Waugh and at level with Sunil Gavaskar [Images]. Now only Sachin Tendulkar [Images] - with 35 hundreds - is ahead of Lara in Test cricket.

This is how Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Lara's career stats looked after reaching their 34th hundreds:

Note: The stats are updated upto the completed innings in which the 34th hundred was scored (Lara's figures are completed upto the end of third day's play of Multan Test).

The following table gives a break-up of scoring-pattern of the three batsmen. It is pretty clear that Lara has a distinct quality of scoring big hundreds. Of the 34 times he reached the three-figure mark, Lara managed to cross 150 on as many as 19 occasions. Tendulkar has a tally of 15 such scores, while Gavaskar managed only 12.

While Lara has two triple hundreds to his credit (including a world record 400*), Gavaskar and Tendulkar never even touched 250-mark.

The following table lists the performances of three master batsmen in each segment of 25 Tests. It will be observed that Gavaskar was an early starter -- scoring most runs and hundreds in first 50 Tests (4,947 runs and 20 hundreds as against Tendulkar's 3,438 and 11 and Lara's 4,205 and 10).

Tendulkar was in peak of his form from 51^st to 100^th Test (aggregating 4,947 runs and 19 hundreds in this period). Lara, however, has been in mind-boggling form from 76^th Test onwards.

He aggregated 5,179 runs and hit 16 hundreds from Test # 76 to 125 -- much more than Gavaskar and Tendulkar -- and has been carrying his splendid form even further. Gavaskar did not go beyond 125 Tests and Tendulkar is at a decline after his 125^th Test.