Now theres a cricketer atop Mt Everest

The 40-year-old Parore who played 78 Tests and 179 ODIs to finish with a modest mid-20s average in both forms took up the challenge in a bid to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

After months of rigorous training he has been in Nepal since March the Aucklander finally stood at the top (8848 m above sea level) battling altitude sickness,bad weather and a five-hour walk,dazed and confused, as he described to a radio channel in New Zealand.

It hasnt really sunk in,to be honest. But what a view,mate. You can see the end of the world but its just a shame you dont know what youre looking at, he told Radio Live before making his way back to base-camp,which is located at 5000 m.

Speaking to The Sunday Express,pacer Simon Doull,who played with Parore in 27 Tests and is in India now as an IPL commentator,said: It is unbelievable. It is an amazing feat and the fact that he has done it for charity indeed makes it very special.

It is probably the most difficult challenge ever; people who have reached the top of Everest will tell you that. But Adam has always been a very determined man,and he always accomplishes whatever task he takes up in life.

Parore,who toured India twice and after retirement was part of the rebel Indian Cricket League,had originally planned to scale the summit last Saturday along with his group.

But he had to turn back due to high winds and a bad weather forecast. The wicket-keeper,who has turned into an cricket columnist he was known for his sharp reflexes behind the stump and sharper tongue when it came to sledging rival batsmen had been planning the climb for over a year,and had even made a trip to the Himalayas last November to prepare.

He was always extremely fit (He would often jog home from the stadium). But he was never really an adventurous guy. Having been centrally contracted with the board,many activities like skiing,trekking and the sorts were prohibited for us, said Doull.

Throughout the trek,Parore maintained a log on Facebook where he posted how his group had to abort their first climb.

All up a 16-hour day – Sherpa-esque. 1000 m up,2000 m down and about 15 km covered all up. 100 calories intake,about 20,000 expended. I was a bit tired after that.

Unsurprisingly,I slept like a dead man.

Strangely,I woke yesterday morning feeling 100%,like I normally do at sea level. Go figure? I feel better now than before we left for the summit.