“Morning, everyone”. Cricket aficionados will perhaps recognise this was how the famous Australian cricketer, captain and later commentator Richie Benaud welcomed listeners in his laconic style to his commentary on television. He was also remembered for his signature catchword “marvellous,” but his greatest comment may well still be his description of the batting efforts of another highly successful Australian bowler, Glenn McGrath, when Benaud declared that “Glenn McGrath out for 2, just 98 runs short of his century”.

The humour lies in the fact that we are used to hearing commentators comment on a batter being out on 98, just 2 runs short of a century. McGrath though was not a great batter. Indeed, McGrath scored 35 ducks (scores of 0 – or can we say, “just 100 runs short of his century”?) across his 138 Test innings though other brilliant bowlers had worse batting records than him. Courtney Walsh from the West Indies achieved (if that is the right word) 43 ducks in 185 innings while Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) holds the record for the most Golden Ducks (out first ball) in Test cricket with 14.

Out for 98, just 2 runs short of a century – interestingly, there have been 98 instances of a batter being dismissed for exactly 98 in men’s Test cricket history, with the most famous example perhaps being another Australian bowler, Ashton Agar, who came in at number 11 on his Test debut in 2013, and scored 98 before being caught off a short ball—falling just two runs short of what would have been a historic century. He never came near a century again, his next highest Test score being 23.

We do make a big deal of a century in cricket and therefore we make a big deal of people falling one run short of a century – oh, so close! 59 batsmen have been dismissed on 99 in Test cricket, with yet another great Australian bowler, Shane Warne, being a classic example when he was out for 99 against New Zealand in 2001; he had the distinction of scoring the most Test runs in history without ever scoring a century, 3,154 runs across 199 innings. But even the great and good can come a cropper on 99 – Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the greatest batter of modern times, has the unwanted record of getting out on 99 the most times in international cricket, doing so on 3 occasions. Of course, we could go higher and note that in Test cricket history, 12 batters have been dismissed on the score of 199, with some of them never managing to cross the magic double century mark (such as Mudassar Nazar and Matthew Elliott), while Martin Crowe is the only one to get out for 299 (for New Zealand against Sri Lanka) – and never scored the elusive triple century.

Having seen all these statistics, we might well be left persuaded that a century is a big deal. But what is the big deal between 99 and 100; it is just one run! And come on, they have managed to score 99 – that is, 99 more than 0! That is special! So what is so special then about 100? If we hark on about being out for 99, why do we not comment also on 98? That again is just the difference of one run between 99 and 98. What about the difference of 2 runs – it is just one more run than one run, after all? So, then, consider the innings of Geraint Jones of England who scored 2 runs in England’s first innings in the historic 2nd Test of the 2005 Ashesseries, when the match came down to a legendary, nail-biting finish where England defeated Australia by – yes, you guessed it, by 2 runs – Geraint Jones’s two runs, we could say! His two runs, albeit just 98 short of a century, were invaluable.

Several lessons can be learned from all of this, for sports coaches (and parents), not least to see the lighter side of sport – the huge hysteria in the Australian team room when Glenn McGrath actually once hit his one and only six (in 2004) might also remind us of this. In essence it should come down to the point of each and every batter appreciating and enjoying every run that is scored. Expectations can vary for different players. Positive thinking can go a long, long way in cricket especially. What should we teach our children? Numbers are nothing. Small can be significant, no matter how small.

Then we need to remind our children that the same principles apply to life. Depending on our ability and giftings, any contribution can be hugely successful and receive the reward of “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Let us be positive, not bemoan what is not there but delight in what is achieved – it may be all the difference required. It may even be marvellous! So, good morning, everyone.