- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 218,010
London: He was a sight to behold with a bat in hand, the signature shuffle that was also a trigger before a flowing cover drive, the dour defensive prowess and the ability to grind it out in the middle, Brian Lara was perhaps the most complete batsman of his generation. The finesse was on display again, only this time behind a microphone as the West Indies legend delivered the 2017 MCC 2017 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at the Lord's cricket ground.
Talking about his first ever visit to England on a tour in 1991, Lara recollected how he had bowled as many as 25 overs in a tour game and also became Sir Viv Richards' driver on the tour, but never got a chance to play a Test match.
"I was the perpetual water-boy in those days. Viv Richards asked if someone wanted to bowl and I immediately put up my hand...I bowled leg-breaks and googlies and eventually I bowled 7 overs and said I was down. But he threw the ball back at me. By the end of the my figures were 25 overs none for 130," Lara said.
"Viv Richards threw the keys of the car he was gifted to me and he sat at the passenger's seat. After that I knew all the roads in England as I became his driver, the only strip that I wanted to drive on was the 22 yards on cricket field but I never got a chance to play in that tour." the record holder for the highest individual Test score added.
The former West Indies captain congratulated West Indies' recent win over England, in the second Test match at Headingley, which was the Caribbean side's first in 17 years on English soil.
"I say this with no malice and sarcasm as I think the astonishing performance of the young and inexperienced West Indies team in Headingley would have been applauded in every county in England. If there is one team that all of England wants to do well is the West Indies." Lara added.
Lara, who became the second West Indian cricketer to deliver the lecture also took a dig at Geoffrey Boycott for his degrading comments about the West Indies cricket team.
"A former England cricketer said that this is the worst team he has seen in 50 years of seeing, playing and commentating on cricket, it wasn't warranted but he said it, and everyone wanted the West Indies cricket team to stand up and be counted for and that's what they did and I want to congratulate them for the effort," the southpaw said.
The highest run-getter for West Indies in Test cricket further said that the world beating West Indies team of the 80s and early 90s at times used tactics to win matches at any cost which they shouldn't have.
"The highest-ranked team in the world has the responsibility to ensure that the integrity of the game is upheld every single time they play," Lara said. "And that the spirit of cricket is with them every time they enter the field.
"I grew up at a time when West Indies dominated the world. For 15 years from 1980, the West Indies never lost a Test series. And just before that, Colin Croft decided he was going to take a piece out of Fred Goodall's shoulder and ran into him during a Test Match. Michael Holding decided he was no longer a cricketer, he was a footballer and he kicked a stump. I'm sure the occurrences during that period had a big effect on cricket."
He referred to the 1988 series against Pakistan and said that a string of poor umpiring decisions helped the team win the series which had the likes of Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir in top form.
Talking about the home series against England in 1990, Lara said that it 'embarrassing' for ayoungster like him to see his heroes 'wasting time' to ensure resu;ts went their way.
"Everyone said England had no chance," Lara said. "But they won in Jamaica and, in Trinidad, even after rain, had ample time to chase down a small total.
"I had never seen groundsmen and officials fight for Man of the Match. They moved lethargic, slow. If there was a wet spot someone went off the field, they came back with nothing in their hands, they took their time to ensure this game was not going to start any time soon.
"Eventually, it started with a couple of hours to go and England still had time. We bowled, in one hour, seven overs. It was dark and Graham Gooch had to call his troops from the field and West Indies grabbed a draw.
"This is maybe the most embarrassing moment for me as a young West Indian, watching a West Indies team time-wasting, playing the game in a way it should never, ever be played.
The Caribbean legend said that West Indies' downward spiral didn't begin with the 1995 Test series loss to Australia, but had begun earlier. He said that if the team had not overlooked its flaws while the senior players were still playing, perhaps the administration and the players themselves would have had a chance to save the team from the shambolic results which the team went on the face since the turn of the century.
He further said that he had received a text message from Indian legend and his contemporary, Sachin Tendulkar, who had hailed West Indies' recent triumph as "a success the entire world needed."
http://www.news18.com/cricketnext/n...lls-being-viv-richards-chauffeur-1509743.html
Talking about his first ever visit to England on a tour in 1991, Lara recollected how he had bowled as many as 25 overs in a tour game and also became Sir Viv Richards' driver on the tour, but never got a chance to play a Test match.
"I was the perpetual water-boy in those days. Viv Richards asked if someone wanted to bowl and I immediately put up my hand...I bowled leg-breaks and googlies and eventually I bowled 7 overs and said I was down. But he threw the ball back at me. By the end of the my figures were 25 overs none for 130," Lara said.
"Viv Richards threw the keys of the car he was gifted to me and he sat at the passenger's seat. After that I knew all the roads in England as I became his driver, the only strip that I wanted to drive on was the 22 yards on cricket field but I never got a chance to play in that tour." the record holder for the highest individual Test score added.
The former West Indies captain congratulated West Indies' recent win over England, in the second Test match at Headingley, which was the Caribbean side's first in 17 years on English soil.
"I say this with no malice and sarcasm as I think the astonishing performance of the young and inexperienced West Indies team in Headingley would have been applauded in every county in England. If there is one team that all of England wants to do well is the West Indies." Lara added.
Lara, who became the second West Indian cricketer to deliver the lecture also took a dig at Geoffrey Boycott for his degrading comments about the West Indies cricket team.
"A former England cricketer said that this is the worst team he has seen in 50 years of seeing, playing and commentating on cricket, it wasn't warranted but he said it, and everyone wanted the West Indies cricket team to stand up and be counted for and that's what they did and I want to congratulate them for the effort," the southpaw said.
The highest run-getter for West Indies in Test cricket further said that the world beating West Indies team of the 80s and early 90s at times used tactics to win matches at any cost which they shouldn't have.
"The highest-ranked team in the world has the responsibility to ensure that the integrity of the game is upheld every single time they play," Lara said. "And that the spirit of cricket is with them every time they enter the field.
"I grew up at a time when West Indies dominated the world. For 15 years from 1980, the West Indies never lost a Test series. And just before that, Colin Croft decided he was going to take a piece out of Fred Goodall's shoulder and ran into him during a Test Match. Michael Holding decided he was no longer a cricketer, he was a footballer and he kicked a stump. I'm sure the occurrences during that period had a big effect on cricket."
He referred to the 1988 series against Pakistan and said that a string of poor umpiring decisions helped the team win the series which had the likes of Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir in top form.
Talking about the home series against England in 1990, Lara said that it 'embarrassing' for ayoungster like him to see his heroes 'wasting time' to ensure resu;ts went their way.
"Everyone said England had no chance," Lara said. "But they won in Jamaica and, in Trinidad, even after rain, had ample time to chase down a small total.
"I had never seen groundsmen and officials fight for Man of the Match. They moved lethargic, slow. If there was a wet spot someone went off the field, they came back with nothing in their hands, they took their time to ensure this game was not going to start any time soon.
"Eventually, it started with a couple of hours to go and England still had time. We bowled, in one hour, seven overs. It was dark and Graham Gooch had to call his troops from the field and West Indies grabbed a draw.
"This is maybe the most embarrassing moment for me as a young West Indian, watching a West Indies team time-wasting, playing the game in a way it should never, ever be played.
The Caribbean legend said that West Indies' downward spiral didn't begin with the 1995 Test series loss to Australia, but had begun earlier. He said that if the team had not overlooked its flaws while the senior players were still playing, perhaps the administration and the players themselves would have had a chance to save the team from the shambolic results which the team went on the face since the turn of the century.
He further said that he had received a text message from Indian legend and his contemporary, Sachin Tendulkar, who had hailed West Indies' recent triumph as "a success the entire world needed."
http://www.news18.com/cricketnext/n...lls-being-viv-richards-chauffeur-1509743.html
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