England batsman Graeme Hick today passed 40,000 first class-runs, becoming only the 16th batsman to do so and the first to complete the feat without a single notable test match innings.Hick raised his bat to the heavens as he reached 49 for Worcestershire to achieve the milestone and celebrated in classic style by being immediately dismissed without adding another run.
The 41-year-old right-hander received a standing ovation from both spectators attending the game against Warwickshire.
His captain Vikram Solanki later also paid tribute to him.
“To score 40,000 runs is difficult for me to comprehend," said Solanki. “Surely English county bowlers can’t be that bad?”
Hick himself was suitably modest about his achievement. “I guess some people might think that playing on for umpteen years on the county circuit knocking up big scores on flat pitches against bowlers who would struggle to get a game in my native Zimbabwe might seem a bit selfish,” he said.
“But after the disaster that was my test career finished, I figured that it would be worth trying to boost the old average a bit. And given that I’d previously scored 405 not out in a county innings back in 1987, it seemed like the quality of county bowlers would be a good fit for me.”
