players /

Hall of fame

BRIAN

LARA

In January 1992, Brian Lara recorded his maiden Test century in his fifth match. He scored 277, against Australia, in Sydney. And then he got really angry…

With the back-lift of Babe Ruth and footwork redolent of Rudolph Nureyev, Lara entered a West Indian team mourning the considerable losses of Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and Gordon Greenidge. A one-man batting line-up for his entire career, he retired in 2006 as the leading test run-scorer in history. He plundered 9 double test centuries, claimed the world record with 375 against England in 1994 (averaging 99.75) and seized this record back 10 years later with an unbeaten 400 to become the only man to score a quadruple test century. Oh, and he also found time to make that unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire in 1994.

 

If the Don is the greatest and Sachin the best, then Lara must surely go down as the most exciting. Box-office from birth, he danced where others shuffled, cut late where they left and he pulled, hooked and drove with an aesthetic vigour. A renowned anti-authoritarian, his three spells as captain were clouded in acrimony. But if his man-management and delegation were questioned, his commitment to the cause was never in doubt; in his 131 matches, he scored an astonishing 20.5% of the team’s runs.

 

Though his average of 62.14 against England came at the expense of some powder-puff bowling, his average of 51.00 against the all-conquering Aussies - peppered with three double-tons, including one of 226 in his Indian summer of 2005 that broke Allan Border’s world record – leaves us in no doubt of his standing. Murali called him ‘the most dangerous I’ve bowled to’, while Glenn McGrath, not one for gilding the lily, had this to say. “I feel from bowling to the pair of them, that Brian was slightly in front of Sachin when they were at their peak.” Who are we to argue?

 

MORE ON BRIAN LARA

Please click here to see his life in pictures...

Or click here for our video tribute...