Brian Lara - Career, Stats and Records | Highest Score in Test Cricket

Test Cricket is all about batting long, being patient and waiting for the loose deliveries that the bowlers bowls to dispatch them towards the boundary. But there was one batting legend, who was as lethal of a player as he was patient and technically gifted. He would come to the pitch and you could instantly feel his will to dominate bowlers with his bat. And that player is none other than the West Indies legendary batsman, Brian Charles Lara. Playing in the same era as Sachin Tendulkar, both Lara and Tendulkar both were hailed as the best batters of their generations. Just the way Tendulkar has uncountable stats to his name, Brain Lara too has set records that probably will never get broken.

In this article by ZAP, lets look at Brian Lara’s career, his stats and records and his famous innings, the 400 against England and 501 in the County Championship. 

Brian Lara – Early Life and Domestic Cricket Career:

Brian Lara was born on 2nd May, 1969 (current age 54) in Trinidad and Tabago in a big family with eleven siblings. When he was only six years old, his father enrolled him in the Harvard Coaching Clinic where he’d head to learn the proper batting technique.

It was at Fatima College that Lara's cricketing talent started to show. At just 14, he had an outstanding season, scoring 745 runs with an average of 126.16 per inning which earned him a spot in the Trinidad and Tobago national under-16 team.

By the time he was 15, he was already playing for the West Indies in under-19 cricket. In 1987, he made headlines by breaking a record in the West Indies Youth Championships, scoring 498 runs. That same year, he led Trinidad and Tobago to victory in the tournament. In January 1988, Lara made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago in the Red Stripe Cup against Leeward Islands. He made an impressive 92 runs in his second match against a strong Barbados team. In 1990, at just 20 years old, he became the youngest captain of Trinidad and Tobago. He led them to victory in the Geddes Grant Shield. That same year, he made his Test debut for the West Indies against Pakistan, and a month earlier, he had made his ODI debut, also against Pakistan.

Brian Lara – International Cricket Career

Brian Lara had an illustrious international career with the West Indies cricket team. He made his Test debut against Pakistan 6th December, 1990, scoring 44 and 5 runs in the two innings. Prior to that, he had also debuted in One Day Internationals (ODIs) against Pakistan, scoring 11 runs in his debut ODI innings.

One of his most memorable moments came in January 1993 when he scored 277 runs against Australia in Sydney, his first Test century. This innings was pivotal as it led West Indies to win the series 2-1. Lara also named his daughter Sydney after this remarkable achievement.

Throughout his career, Brian Lara set several world records for high scoring. He holds the record for the highest individual score in both first-class cricket (501 not out) and Test cricket (400 not out). He also held the record for the most number of runs in a Test career before it was surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar.

Lara's leadership was commendable too. He captained the West Indies on multiple stints from 1998 to 1999 and again in 2006. Under his captaincy, West Indies won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, the first ever trophy since the 1979 Cricket World Cup. Lara's batting ability was exceptional, evident in his three consecutive centuries against England in 1995, which earned him the Man of the Series award. Recognised for his outstanding performances, he was named in the World Test XI by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2005. 

He retired from One Day Internationals after the 2007 Cricket World Cup and subsequently retired from all forms of international cricket.

Also Read: Cricket Batting Tips and Techniques

Brian Lara Stats – Total Runs and Centuries

Brian Lara is one of cricket's all-time greats, and left an everlasting impact on the sport with his exceptional batting ability across all formats of the game. In Test cricket, Lara's records are nothing short of extraordinary. With 11,953 runs in 131 matches at an impressive average of 52.88, including a highest score of 400 not out, Lara's dominance at the crease was unparalleled. With 34 centuries and 48 half centuries to his name, he is on the list of players with the most centuries in the red ball format. Moreover, his strike rate of 60.51 demonstrates his ability to score runs quickly while maintaining consistency and control. In One Day Internationals, Lara's impact was equally significant. He scored 10,405 runs in 299 matches at an average of 40.48, with a highest score of 169. Lara's had to ability to adapt to the demands of the shorter format without compromising on his elegant and effective batting style. With a strike rate of 79.51 in ODIs, Lara proved to be a dynamic and influential player in limited-overs cricket as well. Collectively, across both the formats, Brian Lara scored a total of 53 centuries with a 22,358 runs in 430 matches and is truly one of the GOATs of Cricket.

Brian Lara – Records:

Test Cricket Records:

• Highest individual score in Test Cricket – 400* against England.
• Second player to score two Test triple-centuries.
• Only player to score two 350-plus scores in Test history.
• Fastest to score 10,000 and 11,000 Test runs, in terms of number of innings (tied with Sachin Tendulkar).
• Scored 34 Test centuries, joint-sixth on the all-time list.
• Most Centuries for a West Indian batsman.
• Nine double-centuries, only surpassed by Kumar Sangakkara and Donald Bradman.
• Two triple-centuries, matched by Donald Bradman, Virender Sehwag, and Chris Gayle.
• Centuries against all Test-playing nations.
• Scored a century and a double-century in the same Test match, achieved only six other times in Test cricket history.
• Most runs (351) on a losing side in a Test.
• World record of scoring most runs in a single over (28 runs). Held until Jasprit Bumrah broke the record in 2022. 

First-Class Cricket Records:

• First player to score seven centuries in eight first-class innings.
• Holder of the record for the highest individual first-class innings, 501* against Durham.

Overall Cricket Records:

• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 1994.
• Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1995.
• Voted as the second-scariest batsman to face in the "World's Scariest Batsman" poll of international bowlers.

Brian Lara 400* - Highest Score in Test Cricket History:

On April 12, 2004, Brian played one of the most extraordinary innings in cricket history by becoming the first ever batsman in the world to score 400 runs in a single Test innings. During the fourth and final Test match of the series against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground, he showcased his incredible talent and skill. Batting first, the West Indies team piled on a mammoth total of 751/5 declared, with Lara scoring an unbeaten 400 runs off 582 deliveries. His innings was an epitome of endurance and class, lasting a staggering 778 minutes. This incredible knock included 43 fours and 4 sixes. With this innings, he surpassed the previous record for the highest individual score in Test cricket, which was held by former Australian opener Matthew Hayden. Hayden had scored 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. Although the series ended in a draw, Lara's innings helped West Indies win the Test match by an innings and 226 runs.

Even after 20 years, Brian Lara's record of the highest individual score in Test cricket remains intact.

Brian Lara 501 – Highest Score in First Class Cricket:

Back on June 6, 1994, Brian Charles Lara achieved what seemed impossible. In a County Championship match for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston, the 'Prince of Trinidad' smashed the highest score in first-class cricket: 501 not out. Lara's monumental innings surpassed Hanif Mohammad's individual score of 499, making him the first and only man on the planet to score 500 runs in an innings. Facing Durham's bowling attack, Brian Lara displayed his exceptional talent and determination. He scored 501 runs off just 427 deliveries, including an astonishing 62 fours and 10 sixes. What makes this innings even more remarkable is the fact that it came just a few days after he broke Sir Garry Sobers's record of 365* by scoring 375 in a Test match against England in Antigua. During his historic innings of 501*, he had some lucky escapes early on, but once settled, he punished the Durham bowlers relentlessly and continued batting for almost eight hours. Brian Lara's unbeaten 501* remains one of the most iconic moments in cricket history, and it's a record that might remain unconquered for many years to come. 

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