Lara! The King of cricket reclaims hiscrown with 400 not out
By Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Jamaica Gleaner
April 13, 2004
ST. JOHN'S:
BRIAN LARA, the 34-year-old left-hander from Trinidad and Tobago, confirmed himself as the greatest batsman of his time and among the best, the very best, of all time with a magnificent history-making performance on the third day of the fourth and final Test of the Cable & Wireless Series between the West Indies and England at the Antigua Recreation Ground yesterday.
Resuming at 313 after transforming his 25th Test century into his seventh double century and then into his second triple, Lara became the first batsman in the 128-year history of Test cricket to score 400 runs in an innings.
In the process, he handed a house packed beyond capacity with cheering fans, including thousands upon thousands of English supporters, something to remember for the rest of their lives.
On a bright and beautiful Easter Monday, on one of those days that those who were privileged to have been there will one day boast that they were there, Lara, batting for a total of 778 minutes during which he faced 582 deliveries and stroked and smashed 43 fours and four sixes, scored 400 not out as the West Indies posted 751 for five - declared.
It was their highest total against England at home or away, and after their 790 for three declared against Pakistan at Sabina Park in 1958, their second highest ever against all comers.
WHITEWASHING
At stumps, England, after arriving in Antigua boasting a three-nil lead, bubbling with confidence and talking about whitewashing the West Indies, after toiling in the sun for over two days and 202 overs, were 171 for five.
They were still 580 runs behind and with two days to go, and despite a docile pitch, they were in grave danger of suffering their fourth defeat in six matches at the ARG.
Because of Lara, they certainly have no chance of winning for the first time at the ARG.
Apart from becoming the only man to break the 400 barrier, Lara, the batsman who erased countryman Gary Sobers' 36-year-old world record of 365 not out with a majestic 375 in 1994 - also against England and also at the ARG, the batsman whose record was surpassed only last October when Australia's Matthew Hayden scored 380 against Zimbabwe, also became the only man ever to hold the record twice when, 25 minutes before lunch, at 11.40 a.m., he rubbed out Hayden's name in style.
GUARANTEED
After scoring 61 runs in 125 minutes, Lara guaranteed himself a share of the record when he danced down the pitch and drove Gareth Batty straight for six - into the Sir Vivian Richards Stand.
With the crowd chanting "Lara! Lara! Lara", he took it back all for himself when he swept the next delivery from the offspinner to the long-leg boundary.
Twenty-five minutes after lunch Lara, the only batsman to score 500 runs in first-class cricket - 501 for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994, swept Batty for a single to bring up his 400 - to step where no batsman in Test cricket had ever stepped before and once again the fans, West Indians and English alike, went wild.
On a day when Lara once again demonstrated his huge appetite for big scores - a day when the West Indies, resuming on 595 for five off 157 overs did not lose a wicket while scoring 156 runs off 45 overs, there were also cheers and applause for Ridley Jacobs.
The 36-year-old Antiguan left-hander ticked off his third Test century and his first against England while sharing a record, unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 282 with Lara.
Resuming on 47 after joining the action at 469 for five, Jacobs' eight fours and three sixes in his 107 not out included some delightful strokes, none more so than a lusty drive for six over long-off off medium-pacer Marcus Trescothick, a drive through extra-cover off Simon Jones, and a back foot, cross-bat hit to the long-on boundary off the pacer.
ON THE RUN
Calling the declaration minutes after he and Jacobs had erased the West Indies' previous sixth-wicket record - an unbroken 274 by Sobers and cousin David Holford against England at Lord's in 1966, Lara left England 58 overs to the end of the day and surprisingly for their fans, despite a fine innings of 52 by Mark Butcher, they were on the run when play ended at 6:15.
Even so after an unfortunate dropped catch when Andrew Flintoff, on 27 at 157 for five, cut at right-arm legspinner Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lara, after fumbling the ball and then catching it, dropped it while attempting to throw it in the air in celebration.
Bowling from the pavilion end and over the wicket, left-hander Pedro Collins made it eight for one when captain Michael Vaughan, going back defensively, edged a delivery that slanted across him and Jacobs made no mistake.
It was 45 for two when the left-handed Trescothick, going back and attempting to cut, edged a short delivery from Tino Best and Jacobs again made no mistake.
The third wicket fell at 54 when Nasser Hussain, playing tentatively and going neither backward nor forward, was bowled by Best and within a few deliveries, it was 98 for four and 98 for five when Collins bowled the left-handed Butcher through the 'gate' with a beauty and when the left-handed Graham Thorpe pounced on a short, harmless delivery from Fidel Edwards and hooked the ball straight into Collins' lap on the long-leg boundary.
FACT FILE
1969: Born Santa Cruz, Trinidad, May 2; youngest of seven brothers.
1984: First represents West Indies at under-19 level.
1988: Makes debut for Trinidad.
1989: Captains West Indies B team to Zimbabwe.
1990: Test debut, third Test vs. Pakistan, Lahore, makes 44 and 6.
1993: First Test century, 277 vs. Australia, Sydney.
1994: World Test record 375 in fifth Test vs. England, St John's, Antigua.
1994: World first-class record 501 not out for Warwickshire vs. Durham at Edgbaston.
1998: Named as West Indies captain against England in the Caribbean, leading his side to 3-1 Test series victory.
1998: Sacked as West Indies captain when players' revolt over pay delays start to tour of South Africa but is reinstated after four days of talks end impasse.
1999: Re-appointed West Indies captain for Test series against Australia in the Caribbean. Scores 213 in Kingston - his first three-figure innings for a year.
2000: Resigns as West Indies captain on February 24. Takes break from cricket for four months.
2003: Scores match-winning century against South Africa in the first game of the World Cup. Re-appointed West Indies captain for series against Australia, lost 3-1. Leads West Indies to 1-0 win over Sri Lanka, scoring 209 in the first Test. Scores 531 runs at an average of 66.37 in four-Test series in South Africa. West Indies lose series 3-0.
2004: Makes ducks in both the first and second Tests as England take 3-0 lead in four-match series in the Caribbean. Passes Matthew Hayden's world record of 380, set in Perth in October 2003, in the fourth Test with a six and a four off spinner Gareth Batty.