So Lara is gone. I'll always rate him above Tendulkar and Ponting as the best of his era. He generally raised his game to new levels against Australia, and in this period that has meant the best.
It's a shame that the only test that I was lucky enough to see him in the flesh (November 2005, Hobart), he got two dud umpiring decisions and had both innings cut short. However, I was lucky enough to cheer loudly as he became Test Cricket's second-highest run scorer (passing Steve Waugh), yet he looked out of touch, with his timing off for most of the game. It seemed the end was nigh for Brian, and people were lining up to write him off.
Of course, Lara being Lara, he came out in dreadful overcast conditions in Adelaide next test and hammered 226. That innings was a exhibition of stroke play, as he showed the world how to combine traditional shots with brilliant innovation against the world class legspin of Warne and MacGill. Tendulkar could only dream of such an innings in hostile territory with backs against the wall.
The Windies lost that game, but Lara had been the standout player, something that had unfortunately become an all too regular fixture.
I will miss Lara, especially in games against Australia where he truly struck fear and awe into our bowlers. I can only hope that someone just as talented (but perhaps a little more settled) will emerge out of the Carribean in the not-too-distant future.
It's a shame that the only test that I was lucky enough to see him in the flesh (November 2005, Hobart), he got two dud umpiring decisions and had both innings cut short. However, I was lucky enough to cheer loudly as he became Test Cricket's second-highest run scorer (passing Steve Waugh), yet he looked out of touch, with his timing off for most of the game. It seemed the end was nigh for Brian, and people were lining up to write him off.
Of course, Lara being Lara, he came out in dreadful overcast conditions in Adelaide next test and hammered 226. That innings was a exhibition of stroke play, as he showed the world how to combine traditional shots with brilliant innovation against the world class legspin of Warne and MacGill. Tendulkar could only dream of such an innings in hostile territory with backs against the wall.
The Windies lost that game, but Lara had been the standout player, something that had unfortunately become an all too regular fixture.
I will miss Lara, especially in games against Australia where he truly struck fear and awe into our bowlers. I can only hope that someone just as talented (but perhaps a little more settled) will emerge out of the Carribean in the not-too-distant future.
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