Sport has the capacity at times to produce as much drama, pathos and varied sub-plots as the greatest of Shakespeare's plays.
Yesterday morning at the Basin Reserve in Wellington was one such occasion, as Brendon McCullum made 302 against India to become the first New Zealander to score a test match triple century and the 24th player in history.
The remarkably large Tuesday crowd lived every ball played by the clearly fatigued McCullum and young debutant James Neesham. There was a collective groan around the ground when McCullum edged a ball just short of Indian captain MS Dhoni on 293, but after Neesham scored his maiden century, pure elation broke out after two imperious strokes to the boundary saw McCullum reach the milestone.
McCullum had almost single-handedly defied the world's No2 ranked team with an astonishing display of mental fortitude and physical courage, toiling on ball after ball despite debilitating knee and back pain.
He set New Zealand batting records that may stand the test of time and in the process played the ultimate captain's innings to guide his team to a rare test series win over India.
