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Happy 46th Birthday, Brian Charles Lara

Hitman

Hitman

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Happy Birthday, Brian Lara. You'll forever remain one of my favorite batsman. God Bless!!
 
2 triple hundreds, 9 double hundreds, 18 scores of more than 150 (232 innings played overall) = 1 great batsman.
 
If only he played his entire career with the same motivation, hunger and determination that he displayed from around 2001 till his retirement. The guy was basically very moody during the first half of his career. Just look at how consistent he became from 2001 on wards. He was a DYNAMITE!!! Murali throughout his career has maintained that he found bowling to Lara the most difficult among all batsman.
 
The greatest batsman ever. Atleast among the ones I got to see. Havent seen another batsman totally destroy and savage bowlers the way he did in test cricket.
 
ThisIsSparta said:
The greatest batsman ever. Atleast among the ones I got to see. Havent seen another batsman totally destroy and savage bowlers the way he did in test cricket.
Click to expand...

It's really mind blowing that West Indies has produced 4 of the greatest batsman to have ever lived - George Headley, Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Brian Lara. No other team can boast of producing 4 batsman of such high caliber.
 
Happy birthday Lara. One of my favourite batsman. I was fortunate enough to watch his 400 live which is the best innings ever imo.
 
Where does Brian Lara rank as a Test batsman?

As a test batsman man, where should he be ranked ?
 
Behind SRT. I cant really think of any other contender.

Ponting was terrible in India and played in a very strong team. As for Kallis, he wasn't at that level as a batsmen at any point of his career.

Neither was anyone else whom I saw bat live.
 
Top 5 all time not too many better in history Bradman is ahead of all small things separate the others Lara is in the mix arguably the 2nd best ever at best unlikely though behind a few other modern batsmen.
 
Slightly ahead of Tendulkar for me even though the former had better technique. His 213 and 153* vs Aus are two of the 10 greatest test innings i have ever seen. Great player.
 
Right up there along with Sachin, slightly below but well ahead of the rest of the pack in his generation i.e., Ponting, Kallis, Dravid, Sangakkara etc.
 
Overrated and most selfish player. As he always focussed on personal milestones, West Indies won very few games when he scored big.
 
Historically which batsmen have been better than Lara?
 
BreadPakoda said:
Overrated and most selfish player. As he always focussed on personal milestones, West Indies won very few games when he scored big.
Click to expand...

Hardly overrated when he still holds the Test batting score record, a feat he's achieved twice. Selfish? maybe and the commentators used to rave about him when he was playing.
 
Chrish said:
Historically which batsmen have been better than Lara?
Click to expand...

Bradman Sobers Richards Tendulkar not too many others Sangakarra maybe if you argue for him Lara should be top 5 all time definitely top 10 all time.
 
It gives me great joy when guys like Lara, Smith etc succeed at the highest level; whole technique and coaching manuals get thrown out of the window..
 
Cric1234 said:
Bradman Sobers Richards Tendulkar not too many others Sangakarra maybe if you argue for him Lara should be top 5 all time definitely top 10 all time.
Click to expand...

There is a decent argument for Hobbs and Hutton as well.
 
Chrish said:
There is a decent argument for Hobbs and Hutton as well.
Click to expand...

Hammond aswell but because of Bradman old greats are generally overlooked it was less professional unlikely batsmen with similar averages are better than the modern batsmen who played better bowlers overall.
 
Cric1234 said:
Hammond aswell but because of Bradman old greats are generally overlooked it was less professional unlikely batsmen with similar averages are better than the modern batsmen who played better bowlers overall.
Click to expand...

I am convinced Hammond was not in the same class.. i don’t just go by averages when comparing players from bygone era. Otherwise I would have included guys like Sutcliffe or Barrington as well.
 
In just tests he is the second best batsmen next to ever play the game:

1. Sachin
2. Lara
3. Viv

Are the top 3 batsmen in test cricket..
 
Chrish said:
I am convinced Hammond was not in the same class.. i don’t just go by averages when comparing players from bygone era. Otherwise I would have included guys like Sutcliffe or Barrington as well.
Click to expand...

Sutcliffe and Barrington were gritty opening batsmen who did well to average as much as they did but this tells you it was less demanding if they Hobbs Hutton all did well as openers.
Hammond was better on sticky wickets than Bradman this alone is an achievement worth considering.
 
Rahul1 said:
Played against 100 kmph trundlers throughout their career. So no, there is no argument for them other than English nostalgia.
Click to expand...

Do some reading on history. Don't be insecure Sachinista..

Cric1234 said:
Sutcliffe and Barrington were gritty opening batsmen who did well to average as much as they did but this tells you it was less demanding if they Hobbs Hutton all did well as openers.
Hammond was better on sticky wickets than Bradman this alone is an achievement worth considering.
Click to expand...

Hammond struggled against "pace bowling" from that era. Now the standard of pace bowling from that time is debatable as it is, so his place goes down massively in my book. Moreover, he struggled onside and was an off-side player. So, all this tells me that he would have struggled in modern days.

Hobbs and Hutton wouldn't average 56 had they played today but the magical 50 mark is definitely within realm of strong possibility. Hobbs outclass all other batsmen pre-WW1 when wickets used to be diabolical. Moreover, he has been unanimously hailed as the master of sticky wickets. And add to that, his astonishing longevity and he is a very strong contender for being 2nd best batsman.

Hutton similarly averaged 50+ in 1950s, toughest decade of batting post-wwII as reflected by lowest batting averages. And he was the first opener IMO who faced hostile genuine pace bowling against Lindwall and Miller and still succeed. And all this despite that accident which shortened his one arm few inch shorter than the other.

There is a reason why both of them are regularly rated as the two greatest openers ever..
 
Last edited:
Lara was more attacking than tendulkar . But Tendulkar had better defense , also Tendulkar balance at the crease was better. I would say Tendulkar has edge over lara.
 
Lara is ahead of Hobbs whose record is great but questionable he maintained top level performance until the age of 50 from 40s and 50s onwards such feats haven't been repeated by top level batsmen.
Hutton is probably the best after Bradman during the pre 70s era but again Lara is most likely ahead of him.
 
Lara is ahead of Hobbs whose record is great but he was playing well up until the age of 50 such feats haven't been repeated at the top level from the 40s 50s onwards.
Hutton is probably the 2nd best ever before Sobers pre 60s but a bit behind Lara arguably ahead at best I would say.
 
There are things Lara could do that Tnedulkar couldn't. Lara was attacking and could tear apart any attack while SRT usually played within himself. Lara could play marathon inning that SRT couldn't. Lara also had iconic match-winning innings that Tendulkar lacks.
 
Kroll said:
Hardly overrated when he still holds the Test batting score record, a feat he's achieved twice. Selfish? maybe and the commentators used to rave about him when he was playing.
Click to expand...

Yes, he could bat long and his stroke-play was very pleasing to the eye but his selfishness overshadowed a lot of his success. How many tests did West Indies win when Lara scored a century? IIRC its in single digits, and Lara scored 34 centuries.

I would have someone like a Dravid over Lara in my side any day of the week. Solid match winner.
 
BreadPakoda said:
Yes, he could bat long and his stroke-play was very pleasing to the eye but his selfishness overshadowed a lot of his success. How many tests did West Indies win when Lara scored a century? IIRC its in single digits, and Lara scored 34 centuries.

I would have someone like a Dravid over Lara in my side any day of the week. Solid match winner.
Click to expand...

Is this a joke? What could Lara do apart from scoring centuries at a brilliant strike rate, which he often did? This is the same argument Inzamam fans would to put forward in argument against Sachin, since they didn't have any other point.
 
Last edited:
Chrish said:
Do some reading on history. Don't be insecure Sachinista..



Hammond struggled against "pace bowling" from that era. Now the standard of pace bowling from that time is debatable as it is, so his place goes down massively in my book. Moreover, he struggled onside and was an off-side player. So, all this tells me that he would have struggled in modern days.

Hobbs and Hutton wouldn't average 56 had they played today but the magical 50 mark is definitely within realm of strong possibility. Hobbs outclass all other batsmen pre-WW1 when wickets used to be diabolical. Moreover, he has been unanimously hailed as the master of sticky wickets. And add to that, his astonishing longevity and he is a very strong contender for being 2nd best batsman.

Hutton similarly averaged 50+ in 1950s, toughest decade of batting post-wwII as reflected by lowest batting averages. And he was the first opener IMO who faced hostile genuine pace bowling against Lindwall and Miller and still succeed. And all this despite that accident which shortened his one arm few inch shorter than the other.

There is a reason why both of them are regularly rated as the two greatest openers ever..
Click to expand...

The fact that you called me 'Sachinista' for no reason whatsoever shows who is the insecure one.
 
Hard to pick between him and Tendulkar as the greatest test bat of the last 30 years. Tendulkar was more reliable and consistent but Lara was magical and had the ability to play marathon innings.
 
He scored 9 double hundreds in 134 tests career and none were against minnows.

3 vs Australia(Mcgrath, Warne)
2 vs Sri Lanka(Murali, Vaas)
2 vs England
1 vs Pakistan
1 vs South Africa
 
Another amazing thing is that he only toured India once wayy back in 1994. He never toured India again.
 
Ab Fan said:
He scored 9 double hundreds in 134 tests career and none were against minnows.

3 vs Australia(Mcgrath, Warne)
2 vs Sri Lanka(Murali, Vaas)
2 vs England
1 vs Pakistan
1 vs South Africa
Click to expand...

But a grand total of one resulted in a win for West Indies. So they are selfish, match losing, stats boosting innings according to some.
 
After 70's as a test batsman (not including unretired players)
=====================

1 Sachin
2 Lara
3 Viv Richards
4 Gavaskar
5 Ponting
6 Greg Chappell
7 Dravid
8 Border
9 Steve Waugh
10 Miandad
===============
11 Sangakkara
12 Kallis
13 Izamam
14 Younis Khan
15 Hayden
16 Smith
17 Yousuf
18 Sehwag
19 Gilchrist
20 Chanderpaul
21 Hussey
22 Clarke
23 Pietersen
24 Graeme Smith
25 Cook
================
26 Boycott
27 Kanhai
28 Martin Crowe
29 Llyod
30 Laxman
31 Misbah
32 Jayawardhene
33 Langer
34 Gary Kirsten
35 Azharuddin
36 Gower
37 Greenidge
38 Dough Walters
39 Zaheer Abbas
40 Mark Taylor
41 Graham Gooch
42 Trescothick
43 Arvinda De Silva
44 Saleem Malik
45 Ian Chappell
46 Boon
47 Haynes
48 Thorpe
49 Richie Richardson
50 Samarweera
=================
 
In my above post cook needs to be removed asa he is current player.
After 70's as a test batsman (not including unretired players)
=====================

1 Sachin
2 Lara
3 Viv Richards
4 Gavaskar
5 Ponting
6 Greg Chappell
7 Dravid
8 Border
9 Steve Waugh
10 Miandad
===============
11 Sangakkara
12 Kallis
13 Izamam
14 Younis Khan
15 Hayden
16 Smith
17 Yousuf
18 Sehwag
19 Gilchrist
20 Chanderpaul
21 Hussey
22 Clarke
23 Pietersen
24 Graeme Smith
25 Boycott
================
26 Kanhai
27 Martin Crowe
28 Llyod
29 Laxman
30 Misbah
31 Jayawardhene
32 Langer
33 Gary Kirsten
34 Azharuddin
35 Gower
36 Greenidge
37 Dough Walters
38 Zaheer Abbas
39 Mark Taylor
40 Graham Gooch
41 Trescothick
42 Arvinda De Silva
43 Saleem Malik
44 Ian Chappell
45 Boon
46 Haynes
47 Thorpe
48 Richie Richardson
49 Samarweera
50 Gayle
=================
 
jeetu said:
In my above post cook needs to be removed asa he is current player.
After 70's as a test batsman (not including unretired players)
=====================

1 Sachin
2 Lara
3 Viv Richards
4 Gavaskar
5 Ponting
6 Greg Chappell
7 Dravid
8 Border
9 Steve Waugh
10 Miandad
===============
11 Sangakkara
12 Kallis
13 Izamam
14 Younis Khan
15 Hayden
16 <B>Smith</B>
17 Yousuf
18 Sehwag
19 Gilchrist
20 Chanderpaul
21 Hussey
22 Clarke
23 Pietersen
24 <B>Graeme Smith</B>
25 Boycott
================
26 Kanhai
27 Martin Crowe
28 Llyod
29 Laxman
30 Misbah
31 Jayawardhene
32 Langer
33 Gary Kirsten
34 Azharuddin
35 Gower
36 Greenidge
37 Dough Walters
38 Zaheer Abbas
39 Mark Taylor
40 Graham Gooch
41 Trescothick
42 Arvinda De Silva
43 Saleem Malik
44 Ian Chappell
45 Boon
46 Haynes
47 Thorpe
48 Richie Richardson
49 Samarweera
50 Gayle
=================
Click to expand...

Who is Smith?
 
Lol, 2 revision

1 Sachin
2 Lara
3 Viv Richards
4 Gavaskar
5 Ponting
6 Greg Chappell
7 Dravid
8 Border
9 Steve Waugh
10 Miandad
===============
11 Sangakkara
12 Kallis
13 Izamam
14 Younis Khan
15 Hayden
16 Graeme Smith
17 Yousuf
18 Sehwag
19 Gilchrist
20 Chanderpaul
21 Hussey
22 Clarke
23 Pietersen
24 Boycott
25 Kanhai
================
26 Martin Crowe
27 Llyod
28 Laxman
29 Misbah
30 Jayawardhene
31 Langer
32 Gary Kirsten
33 Azharuddin
34 Gower
35 Greenidge
36 Dough Walters
37 Zaheer Abbas
38 Mark Taylor
39 Graham Gooch
40 Trescothick
41 Arvinda De Silva
42 Saleem Malik
43 Ian Chappell
44 Boon
45 Haynes
46 Thorpe
47 Richie Richardson
48 Samarweera
49 Gayle
50 Bell
=================
 
jeetu said:
Good catch , just not my days. 2 errors in 1 list, dang.
Click to expand...

Good list actually. Nice to see Younis at 14 getting his due. Feel G Smith should be higher as well.

Nevertheless, these are subjective lists. So, should be appreciated.
 
Ab Fan said:
He scored 9 double hundreds in 134 tests career and none were against minnows.

3 vs Australia(Mcgrath, Warne)
2 vs Sri Lanka(Murali, Vaas)
2 vs England
1 vs Pakistan
1 vs South Africa
Click to expand...

Not all of them included McGrath and Warne. And his 213 in 2005 was in a dead rubber.
 
Hitman said:
Not all of them included McGrath and Warne. And his 213 in 2005 was in a dead rubber.
Click to expand...

His 213 came in that famous 1999 series only against an attack of McGrath, Warne and Gillispie.

The one in 2005 was a dead rubber although the bowlers were McGrath, Warne and Lee.

His 277 came against an attack of McDermott, Hughes and Warne in 1994.
 
Ab Fan said:
His 213 came in that famous 1999 series only against an attack of McGrath, Warne and Gillispie.

The one in 2005 was a dead rubber although the bowlers were McGrath, Warne and Lee.

His 277 came against an attack of McDermott, Hughes and Warne in 1994.
Click to expand...

Yes, that was the innings I was speaking of.
 
Top 5 of all time. At that point personal preference takes over. Fair few people who have him as their GOAT>
 
Of the batsmen I have seen in the last 45 years:

1. Barry Richards

Huge gap

2. Viv Richards

Huge gap

3. Graeme Pollock

Small gap

4= Brian Lara
4= Sachin Tendulkar
4= AB De Villiers
 
Junaids said:
Of the batsmen I have seen in the last 45 years:

1. Barry Richards

Huge gap

2. Viv Richards

Huge gap

3. Graeme Pollock

Small gap

4= Brian Lara
4= Sachin Tendulkar
4= AB De Villiers
Click to expand...

You reckon there is a big gap btw Viv and B Richards ?
 
Red line - 800 rating points
Blue line - Lara’s peak rating

Screen_Shot_2018_05_07_at_9_46_21_pm.png


Screen_Shot_2018_05_07_at_9_53_05_pm.png


Screen_Shot_2018_05_07_at_10_01_33_pm.png


Screen_Shot_2018_05_07_at_10_07_12_pm.png


Screen_Shot_2018_05_07_at_10_08_03_pm.png


Screen_Shot_2018_05_07_at_10_24_44_pm.png
 
Ab Fan said:
Good list actually. Nice to see Younis at 14 getting his due. Feel G Smith should be higher as well.

Nevertheless, these are subjective lists. So, should be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Thanks , tough to put him over Hayden who was slightly superior opener. What went against him was career average 48.25. Also there might be slightly bias on my part because of his below performance vs India , no centuries HS 94.
 
Regarding Tendulkar vs Lara. For most part they were neck and neck. Tendulkar nudged ahead after his career resurgence from 2007-11.
 
Junaids said:
Of the batsmen I have seen in the last 45 years:

1. Barry Richards

Huge gap

2. Viv Richards

Huge gap

3. Graeme Pollock

Small gap

4= Brian Lara
4= Sachin Tendulkar
4= AB De Villiers
Click to expand...

Surprised to see Sachin in your list bro. How come ?
 
Junaids said:
Of the batsmen I have seen in the last 45 years:

1. Barry Richards

Huge gap

2. Viv Richards

Huge gap

3. Graeme Pollock

Small gap

4= Brian Lara
4= Sachin Tendulkar
4= AB De Villiers
Click to expand...

What made Barry so special than even a Viv?
 
jeetu said:
Thanks , tough to put him over Hayden who was slightly superior opener. What went against him was career average 48.25. Also there might be slightly bias on my part because of his below performance vs India , no centuries HS 94.
Click to expand...

Yes, he struggled against India. But he has series defining performances in England(twice) and Australia. Anyways, I got your point.

Hayden is slightly underrated in this forum as well. Many perceive him as a FTB but he was a great player of spin and bounce. Also, very destructive on flat decks quite like Sehwag.
 
Ab Fan said:
What made Barry so special than even a Viv?
Click to expand...
Ive just re-read his biography and realised that Barry was a genius against spin too.

Specifically, Derek Underwood on a drying uncovered wicket and Bedi and Mushtaq on a dusty Northampton track.

They were two of the three spinners with the most Test wickets in history.
 
Pak Crescent said:
lol why is his average vs india so low?
Click to expand...

Unlike Ponting who struggled agains spinners in India , its tough to point by Lara was subpar vs India.

He has even lost test wicket against the likes of Sehwag and Kuruvilla.

Indian bowlers who dismissed Lara in tests

[table=width: 700, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Bowler [/td][td]B [/td][td]C [/td][td]CB [/td][td]LBW [/td][td]St [/td][td]Total [/td][td]Innings [/td][td]Percentage [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kumble, A [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]23 [/td][td]21.74 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Raju, S L V [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]2 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]4 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]66.67 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Nehra, A [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]3 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]50.00 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Patel, M M [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td] [/td][td]3 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]37.50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Prasad, B K V [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]3 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]37.50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Joshi, S B [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]33.33 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sreesanth, S [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]33.33 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Khan, Z [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]28.57 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Srinath, J [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td]2 [/td][td]13 [/td][td]15.38 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Prabhakar, M M [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]20.00 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sehwag, V [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]16.67 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kuruvilla, A [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]1 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]12.50 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Overall [/td][td]3 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]29 [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[/table]
 
Former West Indies captain Brian Lara was taken to the Global Hospital in Parel, Mumbai, on Tuesday (June 25). Lara was admitted after complaining of chest pain.

"West Indies legend Brian Lara has been admitted to Global Hospital in Parel after he complained of chest pain. Hospital to issue a statement shortly," news agency ANI tweeted.

He was brought to the hospital at around 12.30 pm and medical investigations were started immediately.

Lara was in Mumbai working with official broadcasters of ICC World Cup, Star Sports.

"He had an angioplasty done two years back and today was a regular check-up as there is always a fear of heart pain. He is fine and will be discharged soon," a source told PTI.

The hospital authorities have so far been tight-lipped about why the former player has been admitted.

Lara had taken a break of a few days from his TV commitments and was set to resume duties on the eve of India's next World Cup game against West Indies on Thursday (June 27).

"He was not shooting for the last couple of days," the source informed the news agency.

The legendary left-hander played 131 Tests for the West Indies and averaged 52.89 for his 11,953 runs, while his 299 ODI appearances yielded 10,405 runs at 40.17.

He is the first and only player to have registered 400 runs in a Test innings. Lara celebrated his 50th birthday on May 2 in Mumbai, where he was fulfilling his TV commitments.

https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/...ter-chest-pain-in-mumbai-reports-2203187.html
 
Had no idea Brian Lara had heart issues.

Get well soon champ.
 
Hope lara is ok.
Never knew he had heart problems, am quite shocked, as he is not that old.
Get well soon champ!
 
Q) Where does Brian Lara rank as a Test batsman?
A) above Tendulkar and below Richards

no comparisons with modern players, the game has changed too much to make comparisons.
 
The answer to the thread is Brian C. Lara and sir Vivian Richards are the greatest of all time!
Not going to argue with anyone, just accept and move on!
 
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