Brian Lara is a former cricketer and captain of the West Indies cricket team. He was a skilled batsman, and was known for his ability to bat for long and high-scoring innings. [1] From his debut in international cricket in 1990 to his retirement in 2007, Lara scored 11,953 runs in Tests and 10,405 in One Day Internationals (ODI), accumulating a total of 53 centuries. [2] His accomplishments with the bat saw him chosen as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1994, [3] as well as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1995. [4]
[5] Lara scored a Test century for the first time in his fifth Test match in 1993 against Australia. [6] His score of 277 in that match is the fourth-highest maiden century in Test history. [7] The 375 he made against England in 1994 was the highest individual Test score for nine years, until Matthew Hayden surpassed it in 2003. [8] Lara regained the world record in 2004 when he made an unbeaten 400, once again against England. [9] It is also the only quadruple century in Test cricket. [10] The unbeaten 153 he scored against Australia in 1999 was rated as the second-best Test innings of all time by the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2001. [11] [12] He has scored more than 200 runs on nine occasions, the highest after Donald Bradman [13] [14] and Kumar Sangakkara Alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle, he is one of four batsmen who have scored triple centuries on two occasions. [15] Lara scored 34 centuries during his Test career, the highest number by a West Indian player. He is ranked sixth for the highest number of centuries in a career along with Mahela Jayawardene, Sunil Gavaskar and Younis Khan, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Rahul Dravid. [16]
Lara's first ODI century came more than two years after his debut match, when he scored 128 against Pakistan. [17] His career best is 169 runs made against Sri Lanka in 1995. It is also the third highest individual score by a West Indian batsman. [18] The 117 he made against Bangladesh in 1999 is the fifth fastest century in ODI cricket. It was made in 45 balls at a strike rate of 188.70, reaching the boundary on eighteen occasions and clearing it on four. [19] During his career, he scored more than 150 runs on three occasions. By the time of his retirement, he had scored 19 centuries in ODI matches. [20] This is the second highest number of centuries scored by a single batsman for the West Indies, a record that Chris Gayle surpassed. [21]
No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | Test | Venue | H/A | Date | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 277† | Australia | 4 | 2 | 1/5 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Away | 2 January 1993 | Drawn [22] |
2 | 167† | England | 3 | 2 | 2/5 | Bourda, Georgetown | Home | 17 March 1994 | Won [23] |
3 | 375† | England | 3 | 1 | 5/5 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 16 April 1994 | Drawn [24] |
4 | 147 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 2/2 | Basin Reserve, Wellington | Away | 10 February 1995 | Won [25] |
5 | 145 | England | 3 | 3 | 4/6 | Old Trafford, Manchester | Away | 27 July 1995 | Lost [26] |
6 | 152 | England | 3 | 2 | 5/6 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | Away | 10 August 1995 | Drawn [27] |
7 | 179† | England | 4 | 2 | 6/6 | The Oval, London | Away | 25 August 1995 | Drawn [28] |
8 | 132 | Australia | 4 | 2 | 5/5 | WACA Ground, Perth | Away | 1 February 1997 | Won [29] |
9 | 103† | India | 4 | 1 | 4/5 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 4 April 1997 | Drawn [30] |
10 | 115 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 3 | 2/2 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown | Home | 20 June 1997 | Drawn [31] |
11 | 213†‡ | Australia | 4 | 2 | 2/4 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 13 March 1999 | Won [32] |
12 | 153*†‡ | Australia | 5 | 4 | 3/4 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 26 March 1999 | Won [33] |
13 | 100‡ | Australia | 4 | 2 | 4/4 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 3 April 1999 | Lost [34] |
14 | 112 | England | 4 | 3 | 3/5 | Old Trafford, Manchester | Away | 3 August 2000 | Drawn [35] |
15 | 182 | Australia | 4 | 1 | 3/5 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Away | 15 December 2000 | Lost [36] |
16 | 178 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 1 | 1/3 | Galle International Stadium, Galle | Away | 13 November 2001 | Lost [37] |
17 | 221† | Sri Lanka | 4 | 1 | 3/3 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Away | 29 November 2001 | Lost [38] |
18 | 130† | Sri Lanka | 4 | 3 | 3/3 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Away | 29 November 2001 | Lost [38] |
19 | 110‡ | Australia | 4 | 3 | 1/4 | Bourda, Georgetown | Home | 10 April 2003 | Lost [39] |
20 | 122‡ | Australia | 4 | 4 | 2/4 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 19 April 2003 | Lost [40] |
21 | 209†‡ | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 1/2 | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet | Home | 20 June 2003 | Drawn [41] |
22 | 191†‡ | Zimbabwe | 4 | 1 | 2/2 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Away | 12 November 2003 | Won [42] |
23 | 202‡ | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1/4 | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | Away | 12 December 2003 | Lost [43] |
24 | 115‡ | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 3/4 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | Away | 2 January 2004 | Drawn [44] |
25 | 400*†‡ | England | 3 | 1 | 4/4 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 10 April 2004 | Drawn [45] |
26 | 120‡ | Bangladesh | 4 | 2 | 2/2 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 4 June 2004 | Won [46] |
27 | 196 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 2/4 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 8 April 2005 | Lost [47] |
28 | 176 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 3/4 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 21 April 2005 | Lost [48] |
29 | 130 | Pakistan | 4 | 1 | 1/2 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 26 May 2005 | Won [49] |
30 | 153 | Pakistan | 4 | 2 | 2/2 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 3 June 2005 | Lost [50] |
31 | 226† | Australia | 4 | 1 | 3/3 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Away | 25 November 2005 | Lost [51] |
32 | 120‡ | India | 3 | 3 | 2/4 | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet | Home | 10 June 2006 | Drawn [52] |
33 | 122‡ | Pakistan | 4 | 3 | 1/3 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Away | 11 November 2006 | Lost [53] |
34 | 216‡ | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 2/3 | Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan | Away | 19 November 2006 | Drawn [54] |
No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | S.R. | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 128* | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 102.40 | Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban | Neutral | 19 February 1993 | Won [55] |
2 | 111*† | South Africa | 2 | 2 | 79.28 | Springbok Park, Bloemfontein | Away | 23 February 1993 | Won [56] |
3 | 114† | Pakistan | 1 | 2 | 98.27 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 23 March 1993 | Won [57] |
4 | 153† | Pakistan | 2 | 2 | 106.99 | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah | Neutral | 5 November 1993 | Won [58] |
5 | 139† | Australia | 3 | 1 | 113.00 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 12 March 1995 | Won [59] |
6 | 169† | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 131.00 | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah | Neutral | 16 October 1995 | Won [60] |
7 | 111† | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 118.08 | National Stadium, Karachi | Neutral | 11 March 1996 | Won [61] |
8 | 146*† | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 108.95 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 30 March 1996 | Won [62] |
9 | 104 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 100.97 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown | Home | 6 April 1996 | Won [63] |
10 | 102 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 89.47 | The Gabba, Brisbane | Away | 5 January 1997 | Won [64] |
11 | 103*† | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 88.79 | WACA Ground, Perth | Neutral | 10 January 1997 | Won [65] |
12 | 110‡ | England | 3 | 2 | 103.77 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 29 March 1998 | Lost [66] |
13 | 117†‡ | Bangladesh | 2 | 1 | 188.70 | Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka | Away | 9 October 1999 | Won [67] |
14 | 116*† | Australia | 4 | 2 | 109.43 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Away | 17 January 2001 | Lost [68] |
15 | 111† | Kenya | 3 | 1 | 92.50 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Neutral | 17 September 2002 | Won [69] |
16 | 116† | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 86.56 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | Away | 9 February 2003 | Won [70] |
17 | 116‡ | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 109.43 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 8 June 2003 | Lost [71] |
18 | 113‡ | Zimbabwe | 3 | 1 | 137.80 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Away | 22 November 2003 | Won [72] |
19 | 156†‡ | Pakistan | 4 | 1 | 113.04 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Neutral | 28 January 2005 | Won [73] |
Brian Lara is a former cricketer and captain of the West Indies cricket team. He was a skilled batsman, and was known for his ability to bat for long and high-scoring innings. [1] From his debut in international cricket in 1990 to his retirement in 2007, Lara scored 11,953 runs in Tests and 10,405 in One Day Internationals (ODI), accumulating a total of 53 centuries. [2] His accomplishments with the bat saw him chosen as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1994, [3] as well as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1995. [4]
[5] Lara scored a Test century for the first time in his fifth Test match in 1993 against Australia. [6] His score of 277 in that match is the fourth-highest maiden century in Test history. [7] The 375 he made against England in 1994 was the highest individual Test score for nine years, until Matthew Hayden surpassed it in 2003. [8] Lara regained the world record in 2004 when he made an unbeaten 400, once again against England. [9] It is also the only quadruple century in Test cricket. [10] The unbeaten 153 he scored against Australia in 1999 was rated as the second-best Test innings of all time by the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2001. [11] [12] He has scored more than 200 runs on nine occasions, the highest after Donald Bradman [13] [14] and Kumar Sangakkara Alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle, he is one of four batsmen who have scored triple centuries on two occasions. [15] Lara scored 34 centuries during his Test career, the highest number by a West Indian player. He is ranked sixth for the highest number of centuries in a career along with Mahela Jayawardene, Sunil Gavaskar and Younis Khan, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Rahul Dravid. [16]
Lara's first ODI century came more than two years after his debut match, when he scored 128 against Pakistan. [17] His career best is 169 runs made against Sri Lanka in 1995. It is also the third highest individual score by a West Indian batsman. [18] The 117 he made against Bangladesh in 1999 is the fifth fastest century in ODI cricket. It was made in 45 balls at a strike rate of 188.70, reaching the boundary on eighteen occasions and clearing it on four. [19] During his career, he scored more than 150 runs on three occasions. By the time of his retirement, he had scored 19 centuries in ODI matches. [20] This is the second highest number of centuries scored by a single batsman for the West Indies, a record that Chris Gayle surpassed. [21]
No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | Test | Venue | H/A | Date | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 277† | Australia | 4 | 2 | 1/5 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Away | 2 January 1993 | Drawn [22] |
2 | 167† | England | 3 | 2 | 2/5 | Bourda, Georgetown | Home | 17 March 1994 | Won [23] |
3 | 375† | England | 3 | 1 | 5/5 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 16 April 1994 | Drawn [24] |
4 | 147 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 2/2 | Basin Reserve, Wellington | Away | 10 February 1995 | Won [25] |
5 | 145 | England | 3 | 3 | 4/6 | Old Trafford, Manchester | Away | 27 July 1995 | Lost [26] |
6 | 152 | England | 3 | 2 | 5/6 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | Away | 10 August 1995 | Drawn [27] |
7 | 179† | England | 4 | 2 | 6/6 | The Oval, London | Away | 25 August 1995 | Drawn [28] |
8 | 132 | Australia | 4 | 2 | 5/5 | WACA Ground, Perth | Away | 1 February 1997 | Won [29] |
9 | 103† | India | 4 | 1 | 4/5 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 4 April 1997 | Drawn [30] |
10 | 115 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 3 | 2/2 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown | Home | 20 June 1997 | Drawn [31] |
11 | 213†‡ | Australia | 4 | 2 | 2/4 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 13 March 1999 | Won [32] |
12 | 153*†‡ | Australia | 5 | 4 | 3/4 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 26 March 1999 | Won [33] |
13 | 100‡ | Australia | 4 | 2 | 4/4 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 3 April 1999 | Lost [34] |
14 | 112 | England | 4 | 3 | 3/5 | Old Trafford, Manchester | Away | 3 August 2000 | Drawn [35] |
15 | 182 | Australia | 4 | 1 | 3/5 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Away | 15 December 2000 | Lost [36] |
16 | 178 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 1 | 1/3 | Galle International Stadium, Galle | Away | 13 November 2001 | Lost [37] |
17 | 221† | Sri Lanka | 4 | 1 | 3/3 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Away | 29 November 2001 | Lost [38] |
18 | 130† | Sri Lanka | 4 | 3 | 3/3 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Away | 29 November 2001 | Lost [38] |
19 | 110‡ | Australia | 4 | 3 | 1/4 | Bourda, Georgetown | Home | 10 April 2003 | Lost [39] |
20 | 122‡ | Australia | 4 | 4 | 2/4 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 19 April 2003 | Lost [40] |
21 | 209†‡ | Sri Lanka | 4 | 2 | 1/2 | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet | Home | 20 June 2003 | Drawn [41] |
22 | 191†‡ | Zimbabwe | 4 | 1 | 2/2 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Away | 12 November 2003 | Won [42] |
23 | 202‡ | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 1/4 | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | Away | 12 December 2003 | Lost [43] |
24 | 115‡ | South Africa | 4 | 2 | 3/4 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | Away | 2 January 2004 | Drawn [44] |
25 | 400*†‡ | England | 3 | 1 | 4/4 | Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's | Home | 10 April 2004 | Drawn [45] |
26 | 120‡ | Bangladesh | 4 | 2 | 2/2 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 4 June 2004 | Won [46] |
27 | 196 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 2/4 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 8 April 2005 | Lost [47] |
28 | 176 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 3/4 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 21 April 2005 | Lost [48] |
29 | 130 | Pakistan | 4 | 1 | 1/2 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 26 May 2005 | Won [49] |
30 | 153 | Pakistan | 4 | 2 | 2/2 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 3 June 2005 | Lost [50] |
31 | 226† | Australia | 4 | 1 | 3/3 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Away | 25 November 2005 | Lost [51] |
32 | 120‡ | India | 3 | 3 | 2/4 | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet | Home | 10 June 2006 | Drawn [52] |
33 | 122‡ | Pakistan | 4 | 3 | 1/3 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Away | 11 November 2006 | Lost [53] |
34 | 216‡ | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 2/3 | Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan | Away | 19 November 2006 | Drawn [54] |
No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | S.R. | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 128* | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 102.40 | Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban | Neutral | 19 February 1993 | Won [55] |
2 | 111*† | South Africa | 2 | 2 | 79.28 | Springbok Park, Bloemfontein | Away | 23 February 1993 | Won [56] |
3 | 114† | Pakistan | 1 | 2 | 98.27 | Sabina Park, Kingston | Home | 23 March 1993 | Won [57] |
4 | 153† | Pakistan | 2 | 2 | 106.99 | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah | Neutral | 5 November 1993 | Won [58] |
5 | 139† | Australia | 3 | 1 | 113.00 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 12 March 1995 | Won [59] |
6 | 169† | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 131.00 | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah | Neutral | 16 October 1995 | Won [60] |
7 | 111† | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 118.08 | National Stadium, Karachi | Neutral | 11 March 1996 | Won [61] |
8 | 146*† | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 108.95 | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | Home | 30 March 1996 | Won [62] |
9 | 104 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 100.97 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown | Home | 6 April 1996 | Won [63] |
10 | 102 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 89.47 | The Gabba, Brisbane | Away | 5 January 1997 | Won [64] |
11 | 103*† | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 88.79 | WACA Ground, Perth | Neutral | 10 January 1997 | Won [65] |
12 | 110‡ | England | 3 | 2 | 103.77 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 29 March 1998 | Lost [66] |
13 | 117†‡ | Bangladesh | 2 | 1 | 188.70 | Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka | Away | 9 October 1999 | Won [67] |
14 | 116*† | Australia | 4 | 2 | 109.43 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Away | 17 January 2001 | Lost [68] |
15 | 111† | Kenya | 3 | 1 | 92.50 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Neutral | 17 September 2002 | Won [69] |
16 | 116† | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 86.56 | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | Away | 9 February 2003 | Won [70] |
17 | 116‡ | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 109.43 | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Home | 8 June 2003 | Lost [71] |
18 | 113‡ | Zimbabwe | 3 | 1 | 137.80 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Away | 22 November 2003 | Won [72] |
19 | 156†‡ | Pakistan | 4 | 1 | 113.04 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Neutral | 28 January 2005 | Won [73] |