The Hindu : Sport : Brian Lara announces retirement

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Saturday, Apr 21, 2007
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Brian Lara announces retirement

S. Ram Mahesh

West Indies cricket always had his "unconditional love"

END OF AN ERA: Brian Lara has said he would like to be involved with West Indian cricket in some capacity after retirement. — PHOTO: AFP

Bridgetown: Brian Lara, the captain of the West Indies and among the finest batsmen the game has seen, announced on Thursday he would retire from international cricket after Saturday's Super Eight match against England.

"If this is the last question," said Lara to a packed press conference in which he'd been asked repeatedly about his future, "I'd like to say that I'll be bidding goodbye to international cricket on Saturday.

"I've already spoken to the board. Thank you all." With that, Lara left the press conference as journalists got on panicky mobile phones.

Lara had said that he would retire from one-day cricket after the World Cup, but had been non-committal about Test cricket.

With a tour of England approaching, questions on whether he'd play the Tests and whether there would be separate captains for the two forms of the game were flying thick and fast.

In Thursday's press conference, Lara had pointedly said that he'd like to speak only about the match against Bangladesh. But, surprisingly, to a question on whether he saw himself playing Test cricket into his forties, Lara made his announcement.

Just earlier, Lara had said that he would like to be remembered as "someone who tried to entertain" the paying public. Few stirred the soul as he did. Few gave more joy.

Genius

A left-hander of supreme skill and the highest genius, Lara proved — as men of genius do — that conventional boundaries didn't apply to his batting. What was the highest risk to lesser players was to Lara native and hence natural.

"Cricket's a game where you have to pay to come through the turnstiles," said Lara, "and if at the end of the day you could say that watching Brian Lara play was entertaining or watching the West Indies play was entertaining, then I was happy." Lara showed entertainment and efficiency weren't exclusive of the other — therein lies his greatness. He's the only batsman to break the record for the highest Test score twice. His unbeaten 400 remains the highest — and the only quadruple hundred — in Test cricket. Lara also has the only quintuple hundred in first class cricket.

Lara is Test cricket's highest run-getter with 11,953 runs from 131 matches at 52.88. He has 34 centuries and 48 half-centuries. In one-day cricket, Lara has 10,387 runs from 298 matches at 40.57 with 19 centuries and 63 half-centuries. Saturday's game will be his 299th.

"I was sure I'd get to play my 300th in the World Cup," said Lara, leaving no one in doubt what he had thought of the West Indies' chances. "But, it was not to be." Lara then touched on a topic his deputy — and the man tipped to succeed him as captain — Ramnaresh Sarwan spoke about.

Mentally strong

"I think the greatest thing about him is he's very strong mentally," said Sarwan. "That's what has helped him through his career. He has had a lot of scrutiny in his career. But, his mental strength was what came through from the time I've spent with him in the dressing room."

Lara credited his strength of mind to his family. "I've been knocked down so many times as a cricketer and a person," said Lara. "Just that strength to pick myself up, which I get from my parents, and perform in the face of adversity wasn't something I read in a book. It's deep down and something that is a family trait."

Lara picked the Champions Trophy triumph in 2004 as the highest point of his one-day career — an interesting choice, for his captaincy was hailed during that campaign; his third stint as captain has come under criticism in recent times.

"Brian's captaincy during the tournament was outstanding," Courtney Browne, wicketkeeper and key member of the squad during the 2004 Champions Trophy, told The Hindu. "He would tell me well in advance how a game would play. It would happen exactly that way."

Lara's third stint has been mired by several clashes with the administration, and though Lara has used the media to his advantage in the past, in the last few days he has stuck to saying, "This is not the forum to discuss these things. It's spilt milk and it will be done in-house."

Lara said the West Indies cricket had his "unconditional love"; he would like to be involved in some capacity. "I'm someone who's played the game with a lot of the greats. I'm a student of the game in that I read about the game's history. The way Australia care about enhancing the understanding of their history — I'd like to (help with) what makes success come through."

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