Best XI of the most selfish cricketers

4. Brian Lara

One of the most gifted stroke players to have ever played the game, Brian Charles Lara makes it to this list at the No.4 spot. And, he makes it because of the innings that he saw him claim the numero-uno spot as far as the record for the highest individual run-getter in Test cricket is concerned- Yep! That 400 against England in 2004.

Now, don’t get me wrong! That innings by Lara was a masterclass in every facet of play: strokeplay, patience, perseverance, and temperament. But, let us understand the context in which it came. It was the fourth Test match of the series. England had won the opening three games and Brian Lara [who hadn’t crossed 50 before that innings] was in tremendous pressure as captain. It was a dead-rubber, alright but the pride of West Indies could have been restored to some extent, had the home side won the last Test.

Coming back to Lara’s innings, the left-hander scored his first 300 runs in 404 balls. The West Indies had finished the second day at 5-595 in 157 overs. They finished with 757 in 202 overs, as their run-rate dipped from 4 per over to three-an-over on the third day, with Lara taking a further 178 balls to score his next 100 runs.

That left West Indies with just over two days to bowl England twice, and even though they knocked over the tourists relatively cheaply in the first innings, Michael Vaughan’s hundred helped England escape with a draw. Lara was hurled with allegations that he put his personal records ahead of the team’s cause with the fans questioning the timing of declaration.