Cricket: Sehwag's 'sights set on 200'

SYDNEY - Dean Jones has revealed that Indian Virender Sehwag has set his sights on becoming the first batsman to score 200 runs in an international one-day cricket match.

The dashing Indian opener could ask for few grander stages to achieve the feat than the day-night tsunami charity game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tonight between an Asian XI and World XI.

With the fundraiser attracting the bulk of the game's premier players, a capacity crowd of 80,000 and millions of viewers from 122 countries, the excitable Sehwag will be jumping out of his skin when he takes aim at the beginning of the Asian innings.

He launches himself at most balls in tests, let alone one-dayers.

A double-century remains unconquered territory in the limited overs arena despite boundaries becoming smaller over the years, bats becoming more powerful and team totals consistently crashing past 300.

Australian captain Steve Waugh once said wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist would break the magical mark but Sehwag has declared his intention to get there first, according to Jones, arguably the best one-day player in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"He's going for it," the former Australian batsman said.

"He's said before that he wants to do it one day. It's an aim of his, I know that for a fact.

"But of course it's easier said than done. Scoring 200 ... jeez, for anyone to do it you'd have to play out of your skin.

"You'd have to hit between seven and 10 sixes and score about 120 runs in boundaries, I reckon."

Jones said the first individual 200 would most likely come from an opener who lasted an entire innings and dominated the strike against inferior opposition.

The obvious problem for Sehwag and Gilchrist tomorrow will be the quality of the bowling attacks.

Neither Sehwag nor Gilchrist have carried their bats through an innings.

Sehwag's highest one-day score is a 134-ball knock of 130 against New Zealand in November 2003.

Gilchrist's best knock was his 172 from 126 balls against Zimbabwe in Hobart last January.

Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar was one lusty hit away from a 200 when he made the world record of 194 from 146 balls against India at Chennai in 1996-97.

Before that, West Indian legend Viv Richards' 189 not out, batting at No 4 in a 55-over match against England at Manchester, had survived as the record since 1984.

* Meanwhile, Shane Warne wants to visit Sri Lanka to help in the tsunami relief effort.

Warne, who will take part in the appeal match today, said he had spoken to World Vision boss Tim Costello and Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan about trying to arrange a visit.

Warne took his 500th test wicket in Galle, one of the worst affected areas of the Boxing Day tsunami. The picturesque Galle cricket ground was completely destroyed in the disaster.

"When you see the footage, it really is devastating and it has touched everybody," Warne said.

"You want to try and do what you can and sometimes you can't do enough."

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who will not play today because of an elbow injury, has still come to Melbourne to support the match.

Highest scores

* 194 (146 balls): Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) v India at Chennai 1996-97.

* 189no (170): Viv Richards (West Indies) v England at Manchester 1984.

* 189 (161): Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) v India at Sharjah 2000-01.

* 188no (159): Gary Kirsten (South Africa) v United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi 1995-96.

* 186no (150): Sachin Tendulkar (India) v New Zealand at Hyderabad 1999-2000.

- AAP