Cricket records beckon Lara

JUST AS Brian Lara has lost his world record for the highest individual Test scores, some very exclusive West Indies records linger within his reach. He is sure to surpass a few, if not all, on the current away tour to Africa, inclusive of stops in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Lara’s aggregate of Test runs stands at 8,404 and is second on the list of all time run getters for the West Indies. Another 137 and he will bypass the current leader, Sir Viv Richards who ended his career on 8,540. The West Indies captain is also in the number three slot of all time century makers for the Windies in Tests. He has so far racked up 21, 3 behind Richards’ 24 and five behind Sir Gary Sobers’ record of 26. And there is yet another landmark which Lara can soon surpass. Sir Viv’s 45 half centuries is a record for the West Indies and Lara is five away from surpassing the mark. He has also played in 96 Tests and once he does not miss any matches in Africa, the Second Test against South Africa should mark his hundredth game and make him the seventh West Indian to achieve the coveted mark. The others who have donned whites in more than 100 Tests are Courtney Walsh who holds the record with 132, Richards (121), Desmond Haynes (116), Clive Lloyd (110), Gordon Greenidge (108) and Carl Hooper (102). 

Lara already has the record for the most catches by a fielder (128) having surpassed Richards’ 122 in the West Indies last home series against Sri Lanka. In the shorter version of the game the Trinidadian genius has accumulated 8,233 runs and lies second to Haynes’ 8,648. Haynes and the left-hander share the record for the most One Day International centuries by West Indian batsmen. They both have 17 and Lara has 52 half centuries, five off Haynes’ record 57.  Lara holds the second highest individual ODI score by any West Indian, his 169 follows Sir Viv’s masterful 189 not out which was once the world record until Saeed Anwar erased it with 194. Having played in 219 matches Lara is fourth behind Barbadian Haynes (238), Guyanese Hooper (227) and Antiguan Richie Richardson (224) as the leading West Indian ODI players. Lara has so far clutched 93 catches in ODIs and once he bags an additional seven he will become only the third West Indian fielder to achieve that century. Carl Hooper owns the record with 120 followed by Sir Viv who has an even 100. In addition, all West Indies batsmen so far have scored a total of 97 ODI centuries so there should be a keen tussle between Lara and his boys to be the batsman to score that special 100th ton.