Brian Lara facts for kids
Lara in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Brian Charles Lara
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| Born | 2 May 1969 Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm leg break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 196) | 6 December 1990 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 27 November 2006 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 59) | 9 November 1990 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 21 April 2007 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–2008 | Trinidad and Tobago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Northern Transvaal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Southern Rocks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 4 February 2012
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Brian Charles Lara (born 2 May 1969) is a former international cricket player from Trinidad. He is known as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He holds several amazing cricket records.
One of his records is the highest score in first-class cricket, where he scored 501 runs without being out. This happened for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994. He also holds the record for the highest score in an international Test match, scoring 400 runs without being out against England in 2004.
For 18 years, Lara held the record for scoring the most runs in a single over of a Test match. He scored 28 runs off an over from Robin Peterson of South Africa in 2003. As captain, Lara led the West Indies team to win the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. This was the first major trophy for the team since 1979.
Lara was often ranked as a top Test batsman. His score of 153 not out against Australia in 1999 was rated as the second-best batting performance in Test cricket history. Only Sir Donald Bradman's 270 runs in 1937 were considered better. Many famous bowlers, like Muttiah Muralitharan, said Lara was their toughest opponent.
He received the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World award twice, in 1994 and 1995. He is also one of only three cricketers to win the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award. In 2012, he was added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In 2013, he became an Honorary Life Member of the MCC. Brian Lara is often called "The Prince of Port of Spain" or simply "The Prince".
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Start
Brian Lara grew up with ten brothers and sisters. He started playing cricket at a very young age, getting coaching from age six. This helped him learn the right way to bat early on. He first went to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic primary school.
Later, he moved to Fatima College at age 14. Here, he really started to develop his skills as a promising young player under coach Harry Ramdass. At 14, he scored a huge 745 runs in the schoolboys' league, with a very high average. This led to him being chosen for the Trinidad and Tobago national under-16 team. By 15, he was playing in West Indian under-19 tournaments and representing West Indies in Under-19 cricket.
Brian Lara's Cricket Career
Early Professional Matches
The year 1987 was a big one for Lara. In the West Indies Youth Championships, he scored 498 runs, breaking a record. He was also captain of the Trinidad and Tobago team, leading them to win the tournament with his score of 116.
In 1988, Lara played his first professional cricket match for Trinidad and Tobago. This is called a first-class debut. In his second match, he scored 92 runs against a strong Barbados team. Later that year, he captained the West Indies youth team in Australia. They reached the semi-finals of the Bicentennial Youth World Cup.
His great batting continued, and he scored 182 runs as captain against the touring Indian team. He was soon chosen for the main West Indies team. However, he had to withdraw due to a personal loss. In 1989, he captained a West Indies B Team in Zimbabwe and scored 145 runs.
In 1990, at just 20 years old, Lara became Trinidad and Tobago's youngest captain ever. He led them to win the one-day Geddes Grant Shield that season. Also in 1990, he made his first Test match appearance for West Indies against Pakistan. He scored 44 and 5 runs. A month before, he had made his first One Day International (ODI) appearance, scoring 11 runs.
International Cricket Highlights
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In January 1993, Lara scored an amazing 277 runs against Australia in Sydney. This was his first century in a Test match, and it helped West Indies win the series. Lara later named his daughter Sydney after this memorable score.
Lara holds several world records for high scores. He has the highest individual score in first-class cricket (501 not out for Warwickshire in 1994). He also has the highest individual score in Test cricket (400 not out for West Indies against England in 2004). His 501 runs were scored in just 427 balls, including 10 sixes and 62 fours!
He is the only player to have taken back the Test record score. He first scored 375 against England in 1994. This record was broken by Matthew Hayden in 2003, but Lara then scored 400 not out in 2004 to reclaim it. This also made him the second player to score two Test triple-centuries. He has scored nine double-centuries in Test cricket. As a captain, he scored five double-centuries, which is the most by any captain.
In 1995, Lara scored three centuries in three straight matches against England. He was named Man of the Series. In November 2005, he broke the record for the highest total runs in a Test career, passing Allan Border.
Lara captained the West Indies from 1998 to 1999. After a tough series against South Africa, they played Australia. Lara scored 546 runs in that series, including three centuries. In one match, he scored 153 not out to help West Indies win with only one wicket left. He was named Man of the Match for these games and Man of the Series.
His 153 not out against Australia in 1999 is rated as the second-best Test innings ever. Only Sir Donald Bradman's 270 against England in 1937 was considered better.
In 2001, Lara was named Man of the Carlton Series in Australia. He scored 688 runs in a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. He made three centuries, including a double-century and a century in the same match. These amazing performances led Muttiah Muralitharan to say Lara was the most dangerous batsman he had ever bowled to.
Lara became captain again in 2003 and scored 110 runs in his first Test back. In September 2004, West Indies won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy under his leadership.
In March 2005, Lara chose not to play for the West Indies team. This was due to a disagreement about his personal sponsorship deal. The issue was later fixed, and Lara returned to the team. He scored 196 runs in his first innings back. He also scored 176 in the next Test.
On 26 April 2006, Lara was made captain of the West Indies cricket team for the third time. In May 2006, he led the West Indies to win One-Day series against Zimbabwe and India.
On 16 December 2006, he became the first West Indies player to score over 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals. At that time, only he and Sachin Tendulkar had done this in both Test and ODI cricket. Lara announced his retirement from all international cricket after the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
Lara played his last international game on 21 April 2007 against England. He was run out for 18 runs. Before this match, Glenn McGrath, a famous bowler, said Lara was the greatest batsman he had ever bowled to.
Retirement and Later Activities
On 19 April 2007, Brian Lara announced he was retiring from all international cricket. His last match was on 21 April 2007. After the game, he asked the fans, "Did I entertain?", and they cheered loudly. He then took a 'lap of honour' around the field, shaking hands with many fans.
Lara has shown interest in staying involved in cricket. In 2007, he joined the Indian Cricket League. He also played for his home team, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2008. He scored a match-winning century in his comeback game.
In 2012, Lara became a brand ambassador for the Bangladesh Premier League team Chittagong Kings. In 2014, he played in a special match at Lord's for the bicentennial anniversary of the ground. He scored a half-century in that game.
In December 2021, Brian Lara was appointed as the Batting Coach and Strategic Advisor for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the Indian Premier League.
Return to Cricket in 2010
Lara still wanted to play Twenty20 cricket. In 2010, he joined Southern Rocks, a team in Zimbabwe. In his very first Twenty20 match, he scored 65 runs, which was the highest for his team. He played a few more games before leaving due to other commitments.
In 2011, even though he hadn't played active cricket for four years, Brian Lara was still highly valued for the Indian Premier League (IPL) players' auction. However, no team bought him that year. In July 2014, he played for the MCC team in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord's.
Personal Life
Brian Lara's father passed away in 1989, and his mother in 2002. Lara has two daughters with journalist Leasel Rovedas.
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In 2009, he was made an honorary Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to cricket. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield in 2007. In 2009, he became an honorary lifetime member of the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club.
In 2012, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. The Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago, which opened in 2017, was named in his honor. In 2019, he received another honorary doctorate from an Indian university.
Helping Others
Lara started the Pearl and Bunty Lara Foundation. This charity helps with health and social care issues, named after his parents. He is also an Ambassador for Sport for Trinidad and Tobago, promoting his country around the world.
He has played in charity football matches like Soccer Aid. In his youth, Lara was also a talented football player. He often played with friends like Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop, and Russell Latapy, who later played for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Cricket Records and Achievements
- Lara scored 277 runs against Australia in Sydney. This was his first Test century and the highest score in Tests between these two teams.
- He was the first player to score seven centuries in eight first-class innings. This included his record 375 against England and 501 not out against Durham.
- After Matthew Hayden broke his Test record of 375 runs in 2003, Lara took it back by scoring 400 not out in 2004. This made him the only player to break the world record twice.
- He holds the record for the highest individual Test score as a captain (400*).
- He was the fastest batsman to score 10,000 and 11,000 Test runs, based on the number of innings played.
- He scored 34 Test centuries, which is one of the highest numbers ever.
- He has the most centuries for a West Indian player.
- Nine of his centuries were double-centuries (200 runs or more).
- Two of them were triple-centuries (300 runs or more).
- He has scored centuries against all Test-playing nations.
- He scored 20% of his team's runs in matches, a feat only surpassed by Donald Bradman and George Headley.
- He scored 688 runs in a three-match series against Sri Lanka in 2001-02. This was 42% of his team's total runs, a record for such a series.
- He holds the world record for scoring the most runs in a single over (28 runs) in Test cricket.
- He scored the ninth-fastest Test century, reaching 100 runs in just 77 balls against Pakistan in 2006.
- With 164 catches, he is among the top non-wicketkeepers for catches.
- In 1994, he won the BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year award. In 1995, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
- Wisden rated his 153 not out against Australia in 1999 as the second-greatest Test innings ever played.
- International bowlers voted him as the second-scariest batsman to face.
See also
- Brian Lara Cricket series of video games
- Brian Lara Cricket Academy
