Sydney cries tears of joy for daddy
By Marisa Camejo
Trinidad Express
April 13, 2004
"She cried and cried, she cried her eyes out - tears of joy, of course. We both cried. I'm glad he took the record away from the Australians. I knew he would do it, and he did," said Lara's former girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Leasel Rovedas, during a brief interview with the Express.
Lara, fondly referred to as the Prince of Port of Spain, yesterday reclaimed Test cricket's highest individual scoring title after losing it to Australian Matthew Hayden in 2003. The Trinbagonian is also the first man in 127 years of the game to hold the world record twice and join the 400 club. Yesterday at the Lara family home in Cantaro, Santa Cruz, one of the cricket superstar's sisters - who asked not to be identified - would only say that "the family is very happy".
Lara's elder brother Winston, who watched the television broadcast with more than a dozen friends in his backyard near the family home, said he woke up early yesterday to prepare himself for the record breaking event.
"I was expecting it to happen. When something nice happens, especially in Trinidad, we always feel elated. And I like sports, so once it happens in sports, I feel good," he noted.
About his younger brother, the elder Lara said Brian's talent was apparent from an early age: "I always admired what he could have done. When I recognised his potential at seven or eight years old, I knew he was destined for greatness. His shot quality, his decision-making, his shot selection - he just knew what to do, he just had it."
Meanwhile, rum shops and bars in Santa Cruz, Barataria, San Juan, and St Joseph were packed with cricket lovers and limers hanging on every word from radio broadcasts, watching the live television feed from Antigua, and celebrating Lara's performance long after the record was smashed.