Brian Lara

Who is Brian Lara?

Brian Charles Lara is a Trinidadian former cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the sport. Born in Santa Cruz, Trinidad, he rose through West Indies domestic cricket before making his Test debut in 1990 and quickly established himself as a prolific and elegant left-handed batsman. He set numerous world records, including the highest individual score in Test cricket, an unbeaten 400 runs against England in 2004, and the highest individual score in first-class cricket, 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994; he also held the Test record with 375 in 1994 before briefly losing it to Australia's Matthew Hayden and then reclaiming it. Lara captained the West Indies cricket team on several occasions during a period of transition for the region's cricket and finished his international career with over 11,000 Test runs and more than 10,000 One Day International runs. Known for his flamboyant strokeplay and record-breaking innings, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2012 and remains a celebrated national icon in Trinidad and Tobago, where the country's national cricket stadium bears his name.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo, "Brian Lara" player profile and statistics · ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, 2012 induction record · Brian Lara with Brian Scovell, Beating the Field: My Autobiography (1995)