Brian Lara

Lore & Background

Brian Lara was one of eleven siblings. At age six, his father and older sister enrolled him in the local Harvard Coaching Clinic for weekly Sunday sessions. He attended St. Joseph's Roman Catholic primary, then San Juan Secondary School, and at fourteen moved to Fatima College, where coach Harry Ramdass helped his development. At fourteen, he scored 745 runs in the schoolboys' league at an average of 126.16, earning selection for the Trinidad and Tobago under-16 team. At fifteen, he played in his first West Indian under-19 youth tournament and represented West Indies in Under-19 cricket.

In 1987, Lara scored 498 runs in the West Indies Youth Championships, breaking Carl Hooper's record. He made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago in January 1988 against Leeward Islands. In his second first-class match, he scored 92 against a Barbados attack including Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall. He captained the West Indies team in Australia for the Bicentennial Youth World Cup, reaching the semi-finals. His first selection for the full West Indies team coincided with his father's death, and he withdrew. In 1990, at age 20, he became Trinidad and Tobago's youngest-ever captain, leading them to victory in the one-day Geddes Grant Shield. He made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1990, scoring 44 and 5.

In January 1993, Lara scored 277 against Australia in Sydney, his maiden Test century in his fifth Test, turning the series as West Indies won 2–1. He named his daughter Sydney after that innings. He holds the record for highest individual score in first-class cricket (501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994) and Test cricket (400 not out against England in 2004). He is the only man to have reclaimed the Test record score, having scored 375 against England in 1994 before Matthew Hayden surpassed it. He also held the record for highest total runs in a Test career after overtaking Allan Border in November 2005.

Reader's Guide

Brian Lara's significance lies in his record-breaking batting achievements and his role as captain of the West Indies. He holds the highest individual score in both first-class cricket (501 not out) and Test cricket (400 not out), and is the second player after Donald Bradman to score two Test triple-centuries. He also held the record for most runs in a single Test over (28 runs off Robin Peterson in 2003) for 18 years. As captain, he led the West Indies to win the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, their first major ICC trophy since 1979. His match-winning 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown in 1999 was rated by Wisden as the second-best batting performance in Test history, after Bradman's 270 in 1937. Muttiah Muralitharan hailed Lara as his toughest opponent. Lara topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 1994 and 1995. He is one of three cricketers to receive the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, alongside Sir Garfield Sobers and Shane Warne. He was appointed honorary member of the Order of Australia in 2009 and inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2013, he received Honorary Life Membership of the MCC.

Did You Know?

• Brian Lara scored 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994, the highest individual score in first-class cricket.
• He scored 400 not out against England in 2004, the highest individual score in Test cricket.
• He held the record for most runs in a single Test over (28 runs off Robin Peterson in 2003) until Jasprit Bumrah overtook it in 2022.
• Lara captained the West Indies to win the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, their first major ICC trophy since 1979.