I was just 6 and had come from school. It was the World cup and it had reached the business end. My father asked me to sit with him and watch the Cricket world Cup Quarter final between South Africa and the West indies. He then started to explain me about how good the South Africans were throughout the tournament and how Kenya had defeated the West Indians. I asked him “If they are so bad why are we even watching this? We know the result. Don’t we?” It was then he told me about a man who can beat the South Africans on his day and it was Brian Charles Lara.
West Indies batted first in the game and what followed was beyond imagination. I saw a man who had an extra ordinary back lift which allowed him to hit the ball with great disdain, still he possessed that deft touch which was pleasing to the eyes. His innings had flair, elegance, tenacity, deft touch, class, blazing cover drive and above all hunger and determination to prove something. He had announced himself. South Africans were in for a royal bashing at the hands of the master. Eventually he scored a 100 off just 83 balls which was the fastest 100 in terms of balls faced during those days. That was the day I realized I am following him as I was a left handed bat too. No matter how much Indians talk about Sachin and his greatness, this guy had surely made me fall for him and his class was matched by none.
His innings made me realize that this man has been destined for greatness. He had all the shots in the book. He used to find gaps even if there were 6 fielders on the offside with his ferocious cover drive which spit venom. Each shot that came off his bat first saluted him and then went to the boundary. Every time he came out to bat, he knew the gaps just as good as how James Bond knew women.
He was a great batter but what etched his name into the history books was the career defining series that he played against Australia at home in 1998-99. His match winning innings of 153 at Bridgetown, Barbados was rated as the 2nd best innings by Wisden. He had guided his team through an impossible run chase. The precision with which he anchored the innings throughout the run chase was an inspiration to the guys who have lost their way in life. West Indians almost looked done & dusted before LARA decided to take center stage and started dictating things. He was the flesh in the thorn for Aussies as he stood between the Australians and the victory. It looked as if the game was played on 2 different wickets, one where the West Indian batsmen were struggling and the other where LARA was making the bowlers dance to his tunes. He produced a match winning spectacle batting with no.10 and no.11…. Australians could never forget what they had just witnessed. LARA-STORM had already hit them. He had won them a game from nowhere snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat with the skin of his teeth. He kept on piling runs in each situation.
375, 400 & 501* … These are the scores a team would have been proud of but this man has scored them all on his own in an innings. It could be fitting to say that LARA was born in a wrong era. He was the only shining armor in a depleted army. Time and again, he bailed his team out of disasters. The 2002-03 series in Srilanka was played between 3 teams, Srilanka, West Indies and Brian Lara. LARA amassed 688 runs in 3 tests. He kept on sweeping and driving Murali throughout the 3 tests. Sri Lankans won all the 3 tests but LARA was the center of attraction even after the series. He led them to a successful Champions Trophy win in 2004.
He retired at home playing the World Cup which was disastrous in a way but this is how legends retire. You never get what you wish for. Remember Bradman, Dravid and Ganguly’s farewell? His farewell speech still brings goose-bumps. The first line he asked to the crowd was “Did I entertain?” and the roar that we received was an obvious answer A resounding yes. People had tears in their eyes. He was later inducted into the ICC's hall of fame too for giving cricket the moments that one can only dream of.
When Nelson Mandela landed in Trinidad the first thing he asked was “Where is Brian Lara?” This is how famous Brian Lara was!!!
Sadly his career was not as illustrious as the numbers suggest. There were many ups and downs in his career. He was often considered as a selfish cricketer for the world record 400* that he scored. Lara had a lot of burden on his shoulders that it was impossible for him to perform in every game. He didn't have a team. Had to carry them along for 2 decades. Psychological impact was high when Lara departed for nought or even when he didn’t play a game due to injury.
A man with so much class had no world cups to his name. At the later stages of his career he started crumbling under the weights of expectations. Prince of Trinidad even after his retirement is still loved by many and people are glued to their TV sets when a match featuring his batting is displayed.
Brian, you are still missed….
Bouncer Avenue wishes Brian Lara a happy 54th Birthday.
