Glowing tribute by India’s Sachin Tendulkar...:

West Indian Brian Lara ‘God’s gift to cricket’

by A.C. de Silva

The West Indian captain Lara first toured with the full West Indies side in 1990/91. He played one Test and one ODI on the tour to Pakistan, scoring 44 in his first Test innings.

He toured England in 1991, but a strong batting line-up of the West Indies kept him out of the side. Lara at first said that he would not go too much for the shorter version of the game. He was born on May 2nd in 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago.

In his early years from Trinidad, Brian Lara found a temporary home in Birmingham signed on by Warwickshire and the West Indian was an immediate success.

He reeled off centuries with ease, peaking with a stunning 501 against Durham. In just six months, Brian Lara became cricket’s hottest property.

He became the 17th international cricketer to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame at a function held recently at Taj Samudra Hotel. It was instant success when Lara was concerned on the cricket scene. The graceful and left-handed West India, pint-sized, like other greats Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and accomplished in his field as few in the history of the game, stands tall amongst contemporary cricketers. Lara’s recall as West Indian captain, was bound to find success coming his way.

”God’s gift to cricket” was how Tendulkar had once famously described Lara.

“He can be so destructive even when the bowling is good.” Not many batsmen can claim to be comfortable on pitches conducive to bowlers, but Lara has remained an exception on various counts. The surface does not matter, for Lara is known to “kill” the ball with his ability to spot the line and length with ample time to at his disposal.

Lasting joys

Lara’s batting has remained one of the lasting joys in cricket. Bowlers knew they cannot give Lara any room, for he can pounce on the smallest of openings. The ease with which he gets into position to execute a stroke is a fascinating experience, even for those who happen to be at the receiving end.

How often do you see a batsman cut or pull the first ball on arriving at the crease? Lara can be trusted to dismiss a ball with contempt regardless of the time he would have spent in the middle. And in his hey days once he settles down, his dainty foot footwork in place and timing blessed with a diving touch, even the best of deliveries can be summarily buried under the avalanche of Lara’s breathtaking stroke play.

In his early days in Port of Spain, his villa atop a hill is a landmark the natives are as proud of as this illustrious son of soil. Rising from a humble background in Cantaro Village in Santa Cruz, Lara, 10th in a family of 11 children, made waves as a precious 14-year-old while still studying at Fatima College. He quickly grew in stature as an entertainer of pristine quality. There is no doubt that Brian Lara excites cricket followers the world over.

Many batting records

Batting records come his way with consummate ease and is the only player who is supposed to have batted over 700 minutes in a Test innings with his 778-minute vigil for his unconquered 400. In doing so, he became the first man to reclaim the world Test batting record not so long ago.

Lara’s bevy of statistics back up his cricket eminence. He has scored eight Test double-centuries, only Bradman (12) has scored more. Lara has a tally of 11,953 Test runs for an average of just under 53.

Early statistics of Brian Lara’s deeds on the cricket field:

* 1st represented West Indies at U-19 level.
* Test debut – 1990 in 3rd Test vs Pakistan, Lahore. Made 44 and 6.
* First Test century in 1993, making 277 against Australia in Sydney.
* 1994 – World Test record 375 in 5th Test against England at St. John’s, Antigua.
* 1994 – World first-class record 501 not out for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston.

* 1994 – Scored six hundreds in his first seven first-class innings for Warwickshire: 147, 106, 120 not out, 136, 26, 140, 501 not out.

* 1995 – Walks out of West Indies tour of England after dressing room row at the end of the fourth Test but is persuaded to rejoin party after four days later.

* 1995 – Pulls out of tour of Australia two days before squad leave the caribbean, following fine by West Indies Board of disciplinary committee for breach of contract on England tour. He was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World awards in 1994 and 1995.

* 1996 – Reprimanded by West Indies Board for derogatory remarks attributed to him following World Cup defeat by Kenya and for an altercation with team physio Denis Waight on flight from Mumbai to London following World Cup match.

* 1998 – Named as West Indies captain against England in the Caribbean, leads his side to 3-1 Test series victory.

* 1998 – Sacked as West Indies captain when players revolt over pay, delays start to tour South Africa but is reinstated as skipper after four days of talks and impasse.

* 1999 – Returns from disastrous tour of South Africa where West Indies suffer 5-0 drubbing in Test series and lose one-day series 6-1.

* 1999 – Re-appointed West Indies captain first two of four-Test series against Australia in the Caribbean. West Indies lose first Test by 312 runs, collapsing to 51 all out in the second innings – their lowest-ever Test match total.

Scored first century for year – 213 in Kingston to lead West Indies to victory in second Test.

Scored unbeaten 153 as West Indies for only the fourth time, scored marathon 300 in the fourth innings to win a Test. On November 27th in 2009 Brian Lara was appointed an honourary member of the Order of Australia. The Australian government made this appointment.