Early Life and Career
Born in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago, SR Lara grew up in a cricketing family and his father, an avid cricket fan, named him after West Indian cricketer, Sir Everton Weekes. Lara’s family was very poor as he was growing up, and he had to work as a part-timer in a shop during school vacations to help supplement the family income. He began his cricketing career with the Trinidad and Tobago U-19 team at the age of 17, and within a few years, he was representing the West Indies in Test matches. Lara made his Test debut against England in 1990 and was a part of the West Indies team that won the 1992 World Cup. He went on to play 107 Test matches for his country, scoring 11,953 runs at an average of 53.78, including 29 centuries. He also played 277 ODIs, scoring 9,688 runs at an average of 39.88, including 10 centuries. Lara was the backbone of the West Indian team for over a decade and participated in several high-profile series, including the famous 2001 Ashes series when he scored 351 runs at an average of 81.85. He retired from Test cricket in 2005, and from ODIs in 2007, at the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
Achievements
Lara is one of only two cricketers, along with Sir Don Bradman, to have scored more than 3,000 runs in a calendar year on two occasions, doing so in 2000 and 2003. In 2002, he scored 5,988 runs in 90 innings across all formats, breaking the record for the most runs scored in a calendar year that had previously been held by Bradman, who scored 5,908 runs in 1948. He holds the record for the most Test runs scored by a batsman in a calendar year (1,162 in 2003), and the most Test runs scored in an English calendar year (1,162 in 2003). He also holds the record for the most Test runs scored by a batsman in single Test innings (425 against England in 2004), and the most Test runs scored by a batsman in a single day’s play (334 against England in 2004). He is one of only five batsmen to score a triple century in Test cricket, and the only one to do so twice. He is the only batsman to score a quadruple century in first-class cricket, and only the third player to score a quintuple century in first-class cricket. He holds the record for the highest score by a West Indian batsman in Test cricket and is one of only three batsmen to have scored more than 400 runs in a Test innings twice. He has the highest average by a West Indian batsman in Test cricket and is one of only three West Indian batsmen to have scored more than 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
Records
- He holds the record for the highest score by a West Indian batsman in Test cricket, scoring 501 runs against England at The Oval in London in 2004.
- He has the highest average by a West Indian batsman in Test cricket, scoring 5,988 runs in 90 innings at an average of 50.88.
- He is one of only three West Indian batsmen to have scored more than 10,000 runs in Test cricket, aggregating 11,953 runs in 107 innings, with 29 centuries and 50 half-centuries.
- He is the only batsman to score a quadruple century in first-class cricket, scoring 501 runs for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in Birmingham in 1994.
- He is the only batsman to score a quintuple century in first-class cricket, scoring 556 runs for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994.
Awards
- In 2000, Lara was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his outstanding performances during the calendar year in which he scored 3,329 runs.
- In 2002, he was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his exceptional performance during the calendar year in which he scored 5,988 runs. - In 2004, he was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his unprecedented feats of scoring 425 runs in a Test inning and 501 runs in a Test match against England during the calendar year.
- In 2005, he was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his supreme batting performances during the calendar year.
Impact on Cricket
Lara is widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time and is the only cricketer to have scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century, and a quintuple century in first-class cricket. He is the only batsman in history to have scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century, and a quintuple century in first-class cricket. His performances during the 2000 and 2003 calendar years, during which he scored 3,329 and 3,329 runs respectively, are considered to be among the best by a batsman in Test cricket. During the 2002 calendar year, he scored 5,988 runs in 90 innings across all formats of cricket, a record for the most runs scored in a calendar year that was previously held by Sir Don Bradman. He is the only batsman to have scored more than 5,000 runs in any calendar year. He holds the record for the most runs scored by a batsman in a single Test match and has scored more runs than any other batsman in a single day’s play in Test cricket. He has the highest number of runs scored by a batsman in consecutive Test matches, and the highest number of runs scored in consecutive Test matches at different venues. He is one of only five batsmen to score a triple century in Test cricket, and the only one to do so twice. He is the only batsman to score a quadruple century in first-class cricket, and only the third player to score a quintuple century in first-class cricket.
Retirement and Legacy
Lara retired from Test cricket in 2005, after scoring 11,953 runs in a career spanning 15 years. He had announced his decision to retire from Test cricket after the end of the series against England in 2004, but changed his mind and decided to play one more series against England in 2005. However, he faced a lot of criticism from the media and fans after a string of low scores and poor performance and decided to call it quits. After his retirement, Lara went on to coach the West Indies team for a brief period and was also a member of the International Cricket Council’s Cricket Committee. He is widely considered to be a role model for young cricketers around the world and continues to be one of the biggest names in the sport. His emotional and passionate style of batting has inspired thousands of fans to engage with the sport, and he is still respected as one of the greatest cricketers in the world.
