You can chuck -- topical me -- any clich� you like at Brian Lara, "Flawed Genius", "Prince of Batsmen", "Black Bradman", but they don't even come close to doing him justice, because as far as I'm concerned, he's the best batsman I've ever seen.
No doubt about it.
Sachin's astonishingly good, but more conservative, less extravagant. Martin Crowe was graceful. Lately "Jarkes" Kallis can't even seem to get himself out. Viv Richards was a super thrashing machine, Greg Chappell's up there, so are Matt the Bat, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. Rah-Hool Dravid might just have the best technique of them all. And Wee Wee Luck-Shmaan is as good a batsmen as there is. That is, if he happens to turn up with the correct head -- specifically, what's in it.
However, when Brian Lara's on song, no one comes close.
He combines a copybook technique, superb eye and wonderful wrist work -- what the hell, ALL the requisite physical attributes, including remarkable fitness -- with an apparent inner drive unmatched by any batsmen I've seen -- Boycott, Tavare, Waugh.S included -- to score at a phenomenal rate over long periods, and most significantly, once he's set, NEVER looks like getting out.
Not forgetting, for the majority of his career, he's played in a rubbish side.
Recently, after Matthew Hayden had scored the world record against Zimbabwe, I thought to myself, it won't be long before Lara takes that back.
And good on him. To be perfectly frank -- I KNOW comparisons are odious in all forms -- I never truly rated Hayden's ton against the Zims, and it's satisfying to see the record scored against a bona fide test playing nation. Especially England. For reasons of gloat.
Anyhoo, that's what I think, how about the "experts"?
The Guardian:
Hayden 'knew Lara would beat record'
When Matthew Hayden scored 380 against Zimbabwe last October Brian Lara telephoned to congratulate him for beating his nine-year-old Test record of 375. Yesterday, after Lara celebrated an unbeaten 400 in St John's, the Australian returned the favour.
"I spoke to Brian over the phone this morning and passed on my congratulations for what was a truly amazing effort," Hayden said. "I wanted to let him know how appreciative I was when he contacted me in Perth, and I thought it was only appropriate that I pass on my own best wishes to him and his family.
"I sort of had the expectation that he was going to break the record. He really had it in his sights. He's truly taken it to a new level.
"Breaking Brian's record against Zimbabwe was one of the most memorable days of my cricketing life but records are made to be broken and, as a batsman, I guess they can fall at any time."
Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler, admired Lara's strength of character after a poor run of form.
"Honestly, I never thought he would do it again," he said. "He is a great player, but at the age of 34 and with so much responsibility on his shoulders with the team not doing so well, I really did not see him breaking the world record.
"It takes a lot of stamina, a lot of grit and determination and 400 runs is a lot of runs. It is good to see that after 10 years Lara still has the appetite for huge totals."
More Guardian. Ignoring the leftoid spin, they eventually get to the cricket:
The beam in Bremer's eye
Who says history doesn't repeat itself? I have been an addict of West Indian cricket ever since, at the age of eight, in Kingston, Jamaica, I was taught how to hold a bat by the great George Headley. In 1957, I was back in Jamaica serving Her Majesty as a conscript in her armed forces there. Skipping my duties, I bribed my way onto a tin roof at one end of Sabina Park in Kingston and, in conditions of uncomfortable ecstasy, watched every run of Garfield Sobers' record-breaking test innings of 365 for the West Indies against Pakistan.
I passed the Windies addiction on to my children, especially to my son Matt. In 1994, Matt, then 27, took his summer holiday in the West Indies primarily to watch the Test series against England. In Antigua, he watched every run of Brian Lara's record-breaking 375, and has never tired telling us all about it.
In recent years, the euphoria of those magnificent occasions seemed to wane. Lara's record was broken and the current Test series has been a shocking disappointment to us West Indies addicts. But on Monday morning, a bank holiday, I rang Matt with urgent news of which he was well aware. Exactly 10 years after that historic innings in Antigua, in the final test of the series, in Antigua, Lara was 313 not out. Matt hurried over and together we watched the maestro go on to the all-time record of 400.
It is difficult to compare these things over such a long period, but watching Lara is certainly far more nerve-racking than watching Sobers. Sobers always seemed safe; Lara, with his high back-lift and flashy style, far more vulnerable. But if I had to choose between the two, I'd go for Lara. From Monday's great batting feast, I remember, in particular, two exquisitely dainty late cuts played off the spinners, neither reaching the boundary.
Well, anyway, a great three days for me, definitely something to tell my grandchildren about. In fact, my grandchild Joe, 2, was there on Monday, and I tried on several occasions to alert him to the sensational history that was being played out in front of him, but he showed not the slightest interest.
The SMH injects a note of circumspection:
Lara gets 400, but what's the score?
Don Bradman always said records were meant to be broken, but even he might have questioned whether they were meant to be broken quite this often.
Cricket's blue-ribbon individual honour - the highest score by a Test batsman - was set again yesterday, Sydney time, when the West Indian captain, Brian Lara, made 400 not out against England in the fourth Test in Antigua.
In so doing, Lara not only became the first man to score a Test quadruple hundred, but with almost indecent haste snatched back the record Australia's Matthew Hayden claimed from him when he made 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth last October.
Hayden telephoned Lara at the St John's ground to congratulate him, returning Lara's gesture when Hayden outstripped his 375 this summer.
But while the West Indies celebrated, elsewhere questions were being asked about whether it was good for the game that such mammoth scores were being posted so frequently.
It took 20 years for Englishman Len Hutton's record 364 to be broken by the West Indian great Garry Sobers's 365 not out in 1958. It was then another 36 years before Lara seized the record with his 375, also against England in Antigua, and then nearly 10 years before Hayden claimed the title.
Now, Hayden's record has been usurped after only six months. Only 19 scores of 300 or more have been made in the 127-year history of Test cricket, and six of them have come since 1997.
The former Australian great Greg Chappell feels bowlers will rise again, but admits the game's officials need to correct the imbalance. "The balance between bat and ball should be pretty close together, but we haven't had that for a while," he said.
Pitches play more predictably, partly due to the technology used in their preparation and partly due to an overcorrection from curators and administrators keen to stop matches finishing early.
The relatively recent introduction of boundary ropes has made fours and sixes easier to score, while helmets and curbs on short-pitched bowling have also helped batsmen.
Some also worry that the high workload of modern cricketers leads bowlers to play within themselves to guard against breaking down, while umpires have become reluctant to give batsmen out lbw, fearing bad calls will be exposed by television.
While the debate intensifies, Lara will enjoy his regained position, earned after more than 12 hours at the crease.
"It's hard to believe - a great feeling. It's been really, really tiring but I feel great," said Lara, 34, who kissed the turf as he reached the record.
Hayden was mildly disappointed at losing the record but said he had enjoyed his time at the top.
"I've enjoyed an incredible wave of euphoria for the better part of six months," he said.
And ahead of Australia's two-Test tour of Zimbabwe next month, he did nothing to allay fears this record may not last, either, saying: "The gauntlet is there, that's for sure."
Chris Lewis in the World's Best Tabby recalls the Antiguan agony -- "Antigone?" ... No? ... Moving along then:
Lara pain will remain
CHRIS LEWIS claims England's bowlers will never forget the agony of toiling away while Brian Lara hit his world record 400.
All-rounder Lewis was the bowler when Lara first broke the world record in Antigua 10 years ago with 375.
And Lewis, 36, said: "I've been trying to forget about that innings for the last 10 years but I haven�t managed it because I can still feel the pains!
"I knew he was about to break the record and thought about a line-and-length ball.
"But I dug one in and, for a split second, I thought he'd hit it in the air. Before I knew it the ball was over the boundary.
"It's very similar circumstances as that was another very flat wicket at the same venue.
"It's knackering and demoralising but at least this England side have won the series."
Aussie Matt Hayden took the record with 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth last October.
Lewis, now playing for Clifton in the Derbyshire League, said: "It seemed cheeky when he told Hayden the record was only on loan."
But Hayden said: "I spoke to Brian over the phone and passed on my congratulations for a truly amazing effort."
CMJ in The Australian waxes Lara-cal:
Lara's epic a sign of pure genius
TO break the most famous of batting records once might conceivably be ascribed to good fortune; to do it twice is proof of pure genius.
A work of art by the most gloriously gifted batsman of his time is what all present at the Antigua Recreation Ground over the first three days of the fourth Test between the West Indies and England have been lucky to see.
Every follower of sport knows that to have great talent is one thing, to apply it at important times quite another.
The most admirable part about Brian Lara's innings of 400 not out yesterday was the physical and mental courage it took to create it.
The 34-year-old has confronted and overcome a great mental demon. He has not liked batting against England's fast bowlers, Steve Harmison in particular, in this series, but he rose above his doubts and fears to fulfil his astonishing destiny.
In the process he has done a huge service to the faltering reputation of West Indies cricket.
Lara is to contemporary West Indies what Don Bradman, the only other Test batsman to pass 300 more than once, was to Australia before World War II.
Lara's failures are headline news; his triumphs a call for national celebration.
As there was a popular song, Our Don Bradman, celebrating the greatest sporting phenomenon of the age and declaring him public property, so there is a tuneful number, sung in Trinidad for this year's carnival by Rootsman, the popular calypsonian, simply called Lara.
The message is that Lara is still the best, that a young side needs time to develop under their father figure.
Lara has spoken so much more about the team in this series than he has about himself and that was his whole intention again when he faced the interviewers on Sunday night after reaching 313.
Of the approaching record Lara said, with great and genuine modesty: "I don't think it's much to rant and rave about. It's a really nice, flat track. It was different last time. Then we were winning the series and you've got to look at this in the context of this series, which we've lost. So really it doesn't mean that much."
Well, there is some truth in all that and although this may be his and the world's highest Test score, it is not the biggest achievement in Lara's life.
This is the boy genius from a huge, poor family in the village of Santa Cruz, near Port of Spain, who announced his presence on the world stage with 277 against Australia in Sydney in 1993.
He then burst into world fame the following year with the highest individual Test score (375) and the highest first-class score in history (501 not out) within six weeks.
It went to his head to some extent, of course. Undreamt riches came his way, along with pretty girls and a house in a prime position, given to him by the Trinidad Government.
His first attempt at captaining the West Indies started well but ended more or less in tears. He was sacked then reinstated during a players' strike before the 1998 tour of South Africa.
It was obvious from the start of his second stint that he had become a wiser as well as an older man.
He has had his moments of bad temper this season and has been fined for dissent towards the umpires, but he has been masterly throughout and stories of unrest within his team emanated from outside the dressing-room, not within it.
He has remained calm and supportive of his failing players, unable to lead them with the bat as they needed, but determined, as he kept saying, to continue to serve West Indies.
His concentration in the past three days has been unshakeable, his resolution unwavering against the short ball. England peppered him especially fiercely with the third new ball, but on this pitch it was a desperate last throw of the dice and Lara never blinked.
As in 1994, Lara proceeded remarkably evenly to his record, refusing to get carried away by his power to hit boundaries.
Perhaps, at the age of 34, his scoring areas are a little more restricted than they were at 24, but during this almost impeccable innings, he played nearly every shot in the book: the late and square cut, the cover drive, the off drive, the on drive, the pull (never the hazardous hook), the sweep and, most productive of all, any number of wristy leg glances and dabs, each placed with the delicate touch of the virtuoso.
Everyone in cricket knew Bradman as The Don. Lara is The Song and he goes with a lovely lilt. Many, even outside India, will claim Sachin Tendulkar to be a greater batsman and, against very fast bowling on bouncy pitches, he probably is. But no one makes the heart sing like Lara in form such as this.
The new Richie (?) reckons there's a hint of Merlin ... Mandrake? ... well ... Catweezle then ... "Touchwood":
Lara the magician
It is not necessarily the case that the finest batsman is the highest scorer. It was certainly not so when, in the 1930 timeless Test just across the Caribbean in Jamaica, Andy Sandham became the first man to score 300. Sandham played for Surrey with Jack Hobbs, who was universally known as 'The Master'. Hobbs made 100 of his 197 first-class hundreds after the age of 40, which suggests it is not a young man's habit after all. The Master's highest Test score was a mere 211.
Viv Richards did not do it, nor did George Headley, Graeme Pollock, Peter May or Denis Compton. Not a Chappell, a Crowe or a Cowdrey, not a Waugh, Walters or Worrell, not even Sunil Gavaskar or Sachin Tendulkar, yet. And that is just the making of a triple hundred.
Brian Lara has now done it twice. Only Don Bradman managed this before him and even the Don was not able to hold the world record on both occasions. Thus, Lara's achievement is a feat of amazing endurance every bit as much as one of skill. Probably, he is not the best player in the world any more but he is still the best at big scores. Given that he is 35 and carrying a pound or two more than in his youth, Lara is proof of the power of the mind - he was at the wicket for 13 hours, for heaven's sake.
The finest piece of batsmanship in this marathon came at the denouement. With his score frozen on 374, and with fraught nerves clearly imposing their own shackles, he suddenly danced down the pitch to a flighty off-spinner bowled by Gareth Batty and flew it gun-barrel straight down the ground and into the second level of the Sir Vivian Richards Pavilion.
The relief was evident at touching upon 380, for Lara indulged himself with a little smile and a barely noticeable punch of the air. Next ball he swept, from a low and confident position, in between the men brought up from the boundary to deny the single. The ball sped away for four more. The batsman threw his arms to the sky. The prime minister of Antigua went out on the pitch to enjoy it. Such a photo opportunity, the highest score in Test history.
Though the Antigua Recreation Ground has been Richards's cathedral, it has become Lara's killing field. Both the 375 and this 400 have been made here, along with a gem of a hundred against India in 1997 and an astonishing blitzkrieg for a hundred more against the Australians in 1999. It is an ideal batting pitch for a man whose ability in the face of fast, short bowling has long been questioned by those who watch him the most, though Lara would balk at this, citing his career record as evidence. The bounce of the ball here is slow and even, the pace off the bare surface is gentle and regular.
Such a pitch allows his genius to flourish. No stroke is beyond him, therefore no line or length can contain him bar, perhaps, the bodyline barrage that England used all too rarely. No man cuts the ball with such precision and along such angles; few drive with equal elan; only the cricketers of the subcontinent and Mark Waugh in the modern era, use their wrists so gleefully to ease the ball through leg-side spaces. Brian Lara is a cricketer who makes magic: the surprise is how long he remains able to sustain it.
Nicholas's Telegraph stablemate, Derek Pringle, bizarrely neglects to mention the day's most exciting highlight ... the Antiguan PM's brilliant name ... Baldwin Spencer:
Lara back on top of the world
World records are destined to be set by only a chosen few, so when Brian Lara reclaimed the highest Test score with an unbeaten 400 in Antigua yesterday, six months after it was taken from him by Australia's Matthew Hayden, something extraordinary was afoot.
The first man to break the 400-barrier in Tests, the 34-year-old Lara now has a first-class score in every century interval between 0-502 (remember his 501 against Durham for Warwickshire), something he had lacked until his quadruple at the Recreation Ground.
The monolithic innings, ably supported by a hundred from Ridley Jacobs, enabled Lara to declare on 751 for five, the highest total conceded by England in Tests, beating the 729 for six scored by Australia at Lord's in 1930.
When this England team are not on pitches that suit their bowlers, they seem to concede records. Their worst defeat, by 562 runs in that match at Lord's, could also be threatened after the top five were removed for under 100.
The series may be dead but rumours of the demise of Lara and West Indies have clearly been exaggerated. The captain declared soon after he reached 400, but not before he had passed Hayden's record of 380 in style, striking off-spinner Gareth Batty for a six to equal it, then four next ball to break it.
It left England facing a massive 552 simply to avoid the follow-on, something that began to look like a speck on the horizon when they lost openers Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick in the first 15 overs.
When Nasser Hussain followed after tea, bowled for three by a fast yorker from Tino Best, the visitors were probably grateful they had not played on pitches like this earlier in the series. Had they done so, they would not have been 3-0 up after three Tests.
Only two bowlers have taken more than 10 wickets here, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, the now-retired masters of reverse-swing. When Pedro Collins began to find something similar, England's batsmen began to look vulnerable and moments after reaching his fifty, Mark Butcher was bowled by a late in-swinger.
With Graham Thorpe following him a few balls later, caught by Collins at long leg after flicking his half-brother, Fidel Edwards, off his hips, England were in deep trouble at 98 for five.
Andrew Flintoff and debutant Geraint Jones, who added 73, stopped the rot as England finished the third day on 171 for five. Flintoff was fortunate to survive when Lara, having initially fumbled a slip catch off Ramnaresh Sarwan, lost control of the ball as he went to throw it up in celebration. Although he beat the ground in frustration, it was the only thing not to go his way all match.
The accepted wisdom is that great sportsmen do not believe in coincidences but even Lara must be mindful of the way they stacked up here when breaking the record for a second time. Same man, same ground, same opponents, same day (Monday), same month.
Even the time was almost exact, the clinching four off Batty coming at 11.43am, three minutes earlier then the one he had struck off Chris Lewis 10 years previously to bring an adoring Caribbean to his feet.
The figures are a close match, too. Ten years ago his 375 lasted 766 minutes and was made from 538 balls with 45 fours. Yesterday the record-breaking score of 384 took 732 minutes and 546 balls with 42 fours and four sixes.
West Indies supporters are an excitable lot at the best of times but the tumult that followed Lara's reclamation of his record was not just joy, it was the release of years of frustration in which the left-hander has carried the batting more often than anyone can remember.
After a victory jog round the square and a bear hug from his batting partner, Jacobs, Lara was congratulated by each England player in turn, pausing briefly to talk to Thorpe, the only person other than umpire Darrell Hair and Lara himself to have been on the field for both world records.
The strife of Brian, which had threatened to consume him, had been wiped away in one great innings and, just as he had done 10 years earlier after making 375 against England here, he kissed the pitch in gratitude.
Antigua's new prime minister, Baldwin Spencer, then strolled on surrounded by heavies to add his blessing. Ten years ago Lara was given a house by Trinidad's prime minister, Patrick Manning, after he had declined the people's request to give Lara his job. Manning is still in power and, by the look of yesterday's knock, so is Lara.
Before the start of this series, Lara stated that he was a better player now than he was when he scored his 375. Yet while the figures remain powerful proof that he is right, this was not as good an innings as the first one.
With the new ball due almost immediately yesterday morning, the best chance of stopping Lara lay with Steve Harmison; his new-ball partner, Matthew Hoggard, was still out with a stomach bug.
Unfortunately, Harmison's habit of running on the pitch in his follow through meant he was barred from bowling after seven overs, following a third warning to go with the two he had been given the previous day. That left Vaughan without his two opening bowlers and Lara simply toyed with him.
Though bowled on 87 by a no-ball from Vaughan, Jacobs hit several sixes in his hundred as he shepherded Lara to his destiny, a journey that saw the pair add an unbroken 282 for the sixth wicket, a West Indies record.
Also in the Australian, Peter Lalor shouts "Eureka":
Lara's ability to go the extra mile
IN the little farming village of Cantaro, Trinidad, they remember a young Brian Lara who was seemingly born the perfect cricketer.
They also remember a youth who valued his wicket so much he would cry when given out.
Perhaps it's that combination of ability and passion that has driven Lara to accumulate some of the biggest scores in international cricket.
The enigmatic batting genius has a score graph that swings as erratically through his career as his moods. Trying to explain why he has three of the highest first-class scores ever is almost as hard as trying to pick his motivation.
In 1994 he claimed the highest score in Test cricket with 375 not out against England at Antigua. A few weeks later he notched up 501 not out in county cricket.
In the next decade there were plenty of tears and two breaks from the game, but now, having had the gauntlet thrown down by Matthew Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe last year, Lara responded with 400 not out against England.
Coming into the current Test, Lara had managed just 100 runs from six innings and in the process captained his country to one of its most ignominious home series defeats.
In one innings he has reclaimed the batting record and gone a long way toward restoring the dignity of West Indian cricket.
Opinions vary as to how and why Brian Lara has succeeded at high altitude more often than people of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting or indeed any who have gone before.
The one thing everybody agrees on is Lara's exceptional ability and concentration.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has stood behind the stumps for many a session while Lara accumulated runs.
"Once he gets through a certain period he is set and when he gets going he is impossible to stop," Healy said. "His placement is immaculate and he has great imagination with the shots he plays. He's got plenty of options.
"There's an element there that is rare. I don't think he's got a greater appetite for runs than a Sachin Tendulkar or a Steve Waugh, but for some reason he's got the ability to keep it moving and not be tied down by anyone.
"He doesn't tire, he's very fit, but I think it's the options he has. He's a wristy player, he's unconventional, he can play the same ball behind point, slog-sweep it for six or he can sweep it along the ground for four or cover drive it.
"He's got all that ability on the one ball and his great skill is to pick the appropriate shot over long periods. He uses his options well."
Former Australian spinner Colin Miller jokes that Lara was his "bunny" for one season, but is not surprised he has set such records.
"He's a bloody good player, a fantastic player and I think the speed he scores at allows him to make big scores," Miller said.
"He is prepared to take bowlers on."
Many would rate India's Tendulkar a better batsman. He has a higher average (57.73) and has scored more centuries (33), but his highest score is 241 not out.
Miller said that Tendulkar might be more technically correct, but it doesn't lead to higher scores.
"Tendulkar doesn't have the extravagance of shots that Brian would play," he said.
"He likes to keep the ball on the ground and he's not playing on wickets that are as true as Antigua. It's a great wicket to play on. You saw that when the Windies got 400 to beat Australia in the last innings of the last tour."
Former Australia captain Greg Chappell said Lara had a combination of ability, opportunity and inclination.
"He's got an enormous talent and a capacity to get into the groove and go on with big scores when he's on the job," Chappell said.
"The thing is that very rarely are scores of that size required � in reality someone who can make 100 can make 200 and anyone who has made 200 can make 300, but 400 is really stretching the envelope, mainly because there's not the need for it."
Chappell argues that in modern cricket most teams are willing to settle for a score of 450 or 500 and going beyond that can often leave no opportunity to win the game.
However, he said in this case, Lara and the team needed something more than a win.
"It was more about making a statement," he said. "The West Indies need a good news story and he has given them one."
Some even suggest today's cricketers are more tuned toward the marketing opportunities offered by a 380 or a 400.
It is said Lara's management were unhappy they could not cash in on his 501 not out because it clashed with a brand of jeans.
Healy says that batsmen today are getting better while bowling stocks have slumped.
"I think batting standards have improved in the past five years," he said.
"At the same time we've lost a lot of bowling experience in the last five years. You've lost maybe eight major fast bowlers.
"But I still think that even though the bowling has been weakened the batting has still improved."
Finally, because there are in fact two teams running around St Johns, Wisden predicts a rosy future for England, that is if the Dead Rubber Syndrome is anything to go by:
It has been England's stated aim for some time to be more like Australia. And in this series, they have done it to a T: stunning victories in the Tests that counted, but foot off the pedal in the dead rubber, that malaise that Steve Waugh never could quite do anything about, even with his all-conquering side.
But now Vaughan's men have a chance to out-Aussie the Aussies. Last year Australia were 3-0 up in the West Indies - and lost in Antigua. And at Sydney in January 2003, they were 4-0 up on England but never looked remotely like batting out the final day of a high-scoring match for a draw, in the face of some probing bowling from Andy Caddick (remember him?). If England can go one better than that and bat through tomorrow, they really will have gone up in the world.
PS: Not here.
I had to do an obligatory search on Statsguru, and was surprised by a few titbits.
He got his 375 in only his 26th innings. I had forgotten how early it was in his career. His previous two centuries were biguns, too (277 and 167).
At the equivalent time in his career, Steve Waugh was averaging a miserable 29.81 with a top score of 79 not out.
Lara also went thru a Justin Langer-esque form slump in the middle of his career, where he averaged only 37.54 in 51 innings!
I’m guessing that was about the time when Malcolm Marshal (RIP) was coach and he seemed to be having “problems” making training sessions on time, et al.
(Ahh, the price of fame and having an extremely hot Aussie girlfriend!)
Cut and paste this to go straight to his career stats:
http://statserver.cricket.org/guru?sdb=player;playerid=1982;class=testplayer;filter=basic;team=0;opposition=0;notopposition=0;season=0;homeaway=0;continent=0;country=0;notcountry=0;groundid=0;startdefault=1990-12-06;start=1990-12-06;enddefault=2004-04-03;end=2004-04-03;tourneyid=0;finals=0;daynight=0;toss=0;scheduledovers=0;scheduleddays=0;innings=0;result=0;followon=0;seriesresult=0;captain=0;keeper=0;dnp=0;recent=;viewtype=bat_cumulative;runslow=;runshigh=;batposition=0;dismissal=0;bowposition=0;ballslow=;ballshigh=;bpof=0;overslow=;overshigh=;conclow=;conchigh=;wicketslow=;wicketshigh=;dismissalslow=;dismissalshigh=;caughtlow=;caughthigh=;caughttype=0;stumpedlow=;stumpedhigh=;csearch=;submit=1;.cgifields=viewtype
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 14 April 2004 at 16:07
With everything else that has gone on with Lara's career and West Indian cricket at the same time, it has been easy to forget just what a magnificent batsman Lara is. He is one of the very best of all time. It's good that we have been reminded.
Lara is not as inconsistent as you sometimes think, either. Almost 10000 runs, an average of nearly 54, 25 centuries, et cetera. He is statistically better than Vivian Richards in every way (more runs, more runs per test, higher average, more centuries, higher scores). Against Tendulkar it is more mixed but Lara (Tendulkar has a higher average (almost 58) and more centuries, but Lara has scored more runs (9675 versus 9470) despite having played fewer matches (106 against 114). Lara has an ability to make really big scores that Tendulkar seems to lack, and in my mind Lara has more of an ability to rise to the occasion than Tendulkar does.
Posted by: Michael Jennings | 15 April 2004 at 05:26
Yeah Tony - imagine him as part of the early eighties Windies team !
I'm not sure how quickly that record will be broken - remember it was set against England - just as Hayden's was against Zim!
Posted by: Jim | 15 April 2004 at 09:28
Agree across the board, boys.
Big, in that 277, was Lara run out? I seem to remember he was, and that if he hadn't been he would have got the record then. He wasn't in a hurry to get out.
Michael, Sachin has a brilliant technique, but I'd rather watch Lara bat. And you're right about his surreptitious -- for want of a better word -- accumulation of runs. Although you wouldn't readily note it, he's been up in the top scorers for the past few years without getting all that much kudos across the board, only from the hard core cricket fans. And the West Indians, of course.
Jim, not 100% sure I agree. If the trend in bowling continues, it will get easier to bat for the next few years, not harder. Expect a few more triple tons to approach Lara. Sooner, rather than later.
But there's no doubt Lara would have had more opportunities to score big in a better line-up. Then again. Maybe he takes it upon himself to make big scores in a shit side. A la Alan Border.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 April 2004 at 10:25
Considering the result in this Test, it was nothing more than self indulgent bullshit from a complete wanker.
Posted by: Burty | 16 April 2004 at 08:46
The Poms couldn't even get the Dead Rubber Syndrome correct. They'll never be a threat until they get that right.
Never the less, Lara may be a nut case, but he's a brilliant bat.
Posted by: Tony.T | 16 April 2004 at 10:44
Agree with Burty - absolute waste of time. Lara could've declared overnight when he was 313 no and maybe the Windies might've won a game, which, despite it being a dead rubber, is surely very important for their battered confidence and young bowlers.
Cricket is still a team game, with records like this only really worth it if they are achieved within the bounds of that team effort. I really don't think this one was .... what the Windies wouldn't have given for a few more hours at the Pommy bats - I can see them collapsing from 5 down to all out very quickly.
Lara - bad captain, v good batsman.
Posted by: chris88 | 16 April 2004 at 16:32
Chris, he's no doubt a crap skipper, and probably a shocking bloke, but he's still a brilliant bat.
Still, it's interesting Tubby Taylor declared on 334 whereas Lara batted on for the record. Speaks volumes, I reckon.
Posted by: Tony.T | 17 April 2004 at 13:08
this opinion piece might be worth yer click...
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_opinion?id=22956429
Posted by: nardo | 19 April 2004 at 16:19
Thanks heaps, Nardo. In the spirit of cheap copy, I might just use that. Nice one.
Posted by: Tony.T | 21 April 2004 at 11:09
Why all the bile boys? Lara came along when W.I cricket is at its lowest. If towards the end of his career he manages to help rebuild a winning team he'll be seen as a genius, otherwise there will never be any true yardstick to measure his captaincy.
Some may say that he is selfish, but closer examination of his carreer one would see that he is a bit of a Messiah who has always sacrificed himself on the altar of W.I Cricket. To us West Indians, it is not merly Cricket but Religion. I do admit that to some Australians he may seem to be selfish. However that is looking at things though a different culture and system of values. We in the Caribbean are mostly the decendants of slaves. Most of us are poor. We live on small independant isalands. Yet we are not really independent as we have virtually no say in today's world of global politics. We are marginalized and bicker and fight among ourselves. Because Cricket today has become so scientific we may never have the resources to produce a winning team as in the past. The WICB has limited options for raising money and just this weekend lost millions of dollars in the two one day internationals that were rained out in Trinidad. So fate is against us...and when things seem impossible there is Brian Lara...the Messiah. To those of you who don't believe or understand you don't have to bow- just show a little respect.
Trinidad,W.I
Posted by: Emery | 27 April 2004 at 00:37
He can bat, Emery. And he can lead by example, but I think Messiah may be going a bit far. Even though Shane Warne DOES like him a lot.
Posted by: Tony.T | 28 April 2004 at 12:28
Because of his imaturity at the time W.I cricket first fell apart he has panniced and made some wrong decisions. But he always was driven by the right instincts. Because of his passion and belief in fair play, he could not understand how players who where supposed to be the exemplars like Steve Waugh and Ian Healy could so blantantly cheat and be allowed get away with it. If he was given justice by the umpires of the world toady his average would have been closer to 60. In almost every series he has been given out unfairly at least twice. I call him the Messiah not because of any ability that he may have, but the fact that he does so well in spite of the apparent conspiricy by so many, on an off the field of play, to deny him his fair due. One has to ask oneself what is it that they really fear? Steve Waugh and Healy cheated him out, Mark Taylor said that his World Record of 375 was not worth breaking, and now Ponting has joined these ignoble tendencies. It goes on and on. Even here in the Caribbean as a yougster he was kept out of the team for so long for no apparent reason. When he was finally cosen it was as 12th man. A few days afterwards his father, his main inspiration died, without ever seeing him play for the W.I. Some may say that I go far but somebody has to say it sooner or later.
Emery
Posted by: Emery | 28 April 2004 at 16:19
I still reckon you go too far. In the face of your "conspiracy" he behaves how a test cricketer is supposed to behave.
I can't say what goes on off the field, but the reports aren't good.
With that in mind, you've gotta ask, if everyone's got something against him, why? And the flip side, if everyone doesn't, what's this conspiracy?
I still reckon Messiah goes too far. Never the less, sport IS the true home of exaggeration.
Posted by: Tony.T | 08 May 2004 at 15:32
Everone knows subconciously that he is 'The Man'. The conspiracy is not a real one. It is not done conciously, at least I hope so. Imagine that a few famous former W.I cricketers were among the Wisden panel which chose the 50 top cricketers of the 20 th century. Of course the Australins chose Australians, and the English chose Englishmen. Not one West Indian chose Lara. As for his behavior off the field, he is a saint when compared with Sobers and Richards! So why has Lara this bad reputation? Here is a little quiz for you.. Who is that was driving when Camie Smith was killed? Who is it, whenever he comes to Trinidad usually finds himself in the roughest region of Port-of-Spain in order to locate a special kind of cigarette from his faithful supplier? So it goes very deep! It boils down to the fact that a lot of the things he is reported to have said in the Kenyan dressing room after the World Cup defeat were in fact true. As I said before Lara has all the right instincts. He may do something wrong but he does it for the right reasons! His passion, the very thing that has made him exceptional, is also his downfall.
Posted by: Emery | 09 May 2004 at 04:57
Yowzah! Sounds like you've got some hot goss there, Emery.
Who WAS driving when CS was killed? Sobers?
Who IS it who buys fat cigarettes in P-o-S? Viv?
What DID Lara say in the Kenyan dressing-room?
Have you heard this story?
http://aftergrog.drivelwarehouse.com/archives/006436.html
Click on "Act Together".
Posted by: Tony.T | 11 May 2004 at 19:48