And one respected India-based commentator said it helped him fall in love with cricket all over again.
Yes, 19-year-old Ashton Agar's defiant 98 in his test debut brought out all the superlatives, nearly matching the long list of records he set in the first Ashes test on Thursday.
The clock was ticking a few minutes before midnight and a new day Friday on Australia's east coast when Agar fell two runs short of a century.
No matter. The youngster was immediately hailed a hero, featured as the lead item on all breakfast television programs in a country where all-encompassing sporting accomplishments lately have been as rare as rain in the Outback.
The previous best for a No. 11 batsman was Tino Best's 95 for the West Indies against England last year.
"I'm feeling your pain lad ... Records are to be broken," Best tweeted. "Must say we number 11 batters, in Agar and myself, love this English bowling attack.
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