Above: Brian Lara in Antigua in 2004
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Former West Indies star Brian Lara will be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s ICC Cricket Hall of Fame Saturday.
Lara will be the 67th male member of the Hall of Fame. He scored 34 Test centuries and 48 half-centuries, representing the West Indies for 131 Tests and 299 ODIs in a 17-year career. He totaled 11,953 runs in his international career.
His performance against England in Antigua featured a record 400 not out, the highest by any Test batsman in an individual innings.
“I had quite a few special moments in my career,” he said. “I think our 2-1 series win in Australia in 1993 under Richie Richardson was very special. Then obviously winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 under my leadership was also a very special occasion.”
His First Class career began in 1987, ending in 2008 with a total of 22,156 runs scored.
“I think it’s a very humbling experience for me,” he said. “To be named alongside some of the great cricketers, not just from the West Indies, but from all around the world, like Sir Garfield Sobers, the Three Ws, Sir Vivian Richards, is a very special feeling.”
Lara is being joined at the induction ceremony by Enid Bakewell, a female cricketing legend in England.