As Brian Lara turns 45 today a tribute to him from CricTracker

The Month of May seems to have the “Birthday of all Great Cricketers”. 1^st May is a birthday of The West Indian opening star Gordon Greenidge and the day after, i.e 2^nd may is yet the birthday of one of the Greatest Players of The World and the Best West Indies captain, Brian Lara. Known for his famous backlift and terrorizing shots, this West Indian always made sure that there is a complete marvel against opposition when he was on the crease to bat. He was not only a Good Batsmen, but also a Great Captain who idealized the strategy of his team according to every player’s will and converted a blockheaded defeat to a sensational victory. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of his era. CricTracker wishes Brian Lara a Happy Birthday as he turns 45 today.

Lara was born on 2^nd May, 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago. From his early childhood he was interested in the game of cricket. He made his ODI debut against Pakistan on 9^thNovember, 1990 and Test debut also against Pakistan on 6^th December 1990. He got his first breakthrough in first class cricket in1987 in Youth Championships where he made 498 runs and broke the record of Carl Hooper set in the earlier year. He set the momentum of “Hard Hitting” in the game of cricket. He was widely known for his unbeatable Hooks , perfect square cuts and fissuring drives. For his energetic batting, he was known as “The Caribbean Flair.”(also read Can Gambhir do it for his baby girl?)

Lara represented West Indies in 131 Tests and 299 ODIs and smashed 11953 and 10405 runs. He was a Left-Handed attacking batsman who could even drop the anchor and defend according to situations. He was a smart batsman who completely captivated the bowler’s mind and bowling style. He has numerous records on his name. Let’s take a look at prominent one.

1. Highest Individual Score in Tests and First class

Lara has the record of unbeaten 400 runs in Tests against England in April 2004 which is highest individual score in Tests. He has also scored an unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire in July 1994 which is the highest individual score in First Class cricket.

2. Most Triple Centuries.

Lara holds the record of most triple centuries (2) along with Don Bradman, Virendar Sehwag and Chris Gayle.

3. Second Most Double centuries.

He holds the record of second most double most double centuries after Don Bradman. Lara has scored 9 double centuries whereas Bradman has scored 12 double centuries.

4. Most runs in an over in a Test.

Lara scored 28 runs in an over against Robin Peterson of South Africa.

5. Fastest 10000 and 11000 runs.

Brian Lara is the fastest man on the earth to score 10000 and 11000 runs in Test Cricket.

Even when he was a part of his team, he formed the backbone of his team’s batting line up. He had captained West Indies three-time from 1998-199; 2003-2005; and 2006- 2007. Even during his reign of captaincy, his performance graph was always parabolic.

Lara announced “The 2007 World Cup” as his final tournament. On 19^th April 2007, he announced his retirement from all the formats of the game. The Board insisted him to play more, but Lara strong on his decision, declined the offer and decided to stay on his verdict.

Lara was friends with lot of cricketers of his time. His friendship with Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne was regarded most fruitful. He was also in good terms with Muttiah Muralidharan and Sanath Jayasuria.

A Great Cricketer, A Great Captain, An economic Bowler and a Respectful person, this is what we can say for Brian Lara. On his 45^th Birthday, Crictracker wishes hearty blessings and a Happy Future