Three of the four fastest Test double hundreds - including Nathan Astle's blitzkrieg 222 off 168 balls - have been scored in the past month. Have bowling attacks around the world turned into pie-throwers or is this the sign of things to come?

England captain Nasser Hussain, who witnessed two of those three innings at close quarters last week, reckons the ever-increasing tempo of modern Test cricket is a "natural progression" given the proliferation of one-day stuff now dished up.

"A few years ago people maybe didn't realise how much they could come down the wicket and hit the ball out of the ground," reasoned Hussain.

"Now they are putting it into practice in all forms of cricket."

Australia, as ever, have proved trailblazers in this particular department, strictly adhering to Steve Waugh's stated principle to play positive cricket.

In effect that has meant lifting their average scoring rate from three to four runs an over and maintaining that for the Test match duration.

Their ability to keep going at such a pressing rate has undoubtedly been by boosted by the audacious strokeplay of batting phenomenon Adam Gilchrist, but if he fails they also have the likes of Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Indeed, their speed of scoring has now reached such levels that Waugh was only half joking when he suggested Test matches should now be played over four days.

Having just witnessed the goings on in Christchurch and Durban - which both finished in four days - it is hard not to come around to his line of thinking.

It undoubtedly makes for spectacular viewing and one can only wonder at the amount of youngsters newly turned on to cricket following the innings of Gilchrist, Astle and Graham Thorpe respectively.

Even that old curmudgeon Sunil Gavaskar might have enjoyed the Christchurch Test, although there were probably too many shots in the air for his liking.

Another trend that has also begun to emerge over the last couple of years is the successful fourth innings run-chase.

New Zealand's 451 might have been the highest fourth innings losing score but over in Durban South Africa were busy compiling 340-5 to brush aside Australia.

The fact that games are now far more advanced by the end of day three due to increased scoring rates is not entirely insignificant in this matter either.

If games are finished inside four days it means the team batting last is no longer doing so on a worn, scuffed and unreliable last day wicket.

Two of the 10 highest winning scores in history have been made this winter, in addition to the highest ever losing total, and if that doesn't start to pull in the crowds then nothing will.

It can't, and won't, happen all the time but the mere prospect alone is usually enough to entice the paying viewers in. Ian Botham was a renowned bar emptier while in his pomp and Gilchrist has now taken up that mantle.

Whether Thorpe or Astle ever reach such peaks again remains to be seen but with the likes of Andrew Flintoff, Shahid Afridi and Ponting still delighting in peppering crowds world-wide Test cricket's future has never looked so bright.

And all this just one year after Hansie Cronje rocked the game to its very core by selling his soul to the bookies.

It's been some recovery, and long may it last.

Fastest 200s (in balls faced)
Player	Match	Venue	Year	Balls
NJ Astle	NZ v ENG	Christchurch	2001/2	153
AC Gilchrist	AUS v SA	Johannesburg	2001/2	212
IT Botham	ENG v IND	The Oval	1982	220
GP Thorpe	ENG v NZ	Christchurch	2001/2	231
CH Greenidge	WI v ENG	Lord's	1984	232
CH Lloyd	WI v IND	Bombay	1974/5	240
Zaheer Abbas	PAK v IND	Lahore	1982/3	241
DG Bradman	AUS v ENG	The Oval	1934	242
IVA Richards	WI v AUS	Melbourne	1984/5	242

19 Mar, 2002