Mark Taylor's sporting sacrifice
In 1998, Australia's cricket captain Mark Taylor declared on 334 against Pakistan, equalling Sir Donald Bradman's highest Test score. Taylor decided to stop batting rather than surpass Bradman's feat, putting his team first and their chance to win, before his own personal ambition. Everyone had an opinion on what he should do - carry on batting and become Australia's highest test scoring batsman or declare and put Pakistan in to bat. He tells Uma Doraiswamy about the sleepless night he had coming to his decision. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded. Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created. (Photo: Mark Taylor congratulated by his team after his unbeaten 334 against Pakistan in 1998. Credit: Usman Khan/AFP via Getty Images)