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| November 27, 2005 | Sunday | Shawwal 24, 1426 |
Greatest achievement of my international career, says Lara
ADELAIDE, Nov 26: Brian Lara said beating Allan Border’s world record for the most Test runs was the highlight of his career. The West Indian batsman scored a brilliant 226 in the third Test against Australia on Saturday to lift his career run tally to 11,187, eclipsing Border’s previous record of 11,174.
Lara already holds the world record for the highest score in an innings after his 400 not out against England last year but said the overall run record was a greater achievement.
“This has to do with longevity with the game and anyone who achieves it understands the importance of it,” he told a news conference.
“Inevitably someone will break it but to actually be the leading run-scorer in Test cricket history is a momentous occasion for me.
“It’s a great feeling and I think you can place it above the rest.”
Lara broke the individual record twice at home, in 1994 and again in 2004, but said it was extra special to break Border’s mark on Australian soil.
“I know this will capture the heart of the people in the Caribbean,” he said.
“For children in the Caribbean, this is it. There is nothing else they want to do than to play cricket for the West Indies.
“It was a great to do it against Australia, a team that is considered perhaps the greatest team that has ever played the game and one that I’ve had a lot of battles with.”
Border was one of the first to congratulate Lara.
“I pass on my congratulations to Brian Lara. He is a very worthy holder of the mantle of the greatest run-scorer in Test history,” Border said in a statement released by Cricket Australia.
“I played against Brian when he made his century in Sydney in the season of 1992-93 and I would rank him as one of the best three batsmen in the world.”
Border said he had watched most of Lara’s innings on television from his Brisbane home but missed the moment he broke the record because he was watching his son playing a junior match.
“I have had the pleasure of seeing him (Lara) play a lot of cricket and there is no doubt he is a genuine genius,” he said.
“I am sure I am not the only Australian who is pleased to see him hold this record.”
Border replaced Sunil Gavaskar as the world record holder when he broke the Indian’s tally of 10,122 runs against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1992-93.
Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer called Lara one of the greatest batsmen of all time after his former charge at Warwickshire set the world record of most Test runs.
“I’ve always felt that he is the premier batsman of this era because he has five double hundreds, a 375, a 400 and 501 (for Warwickshire),” Woolmer said in Lahore.
“Anyone who can score that prolifically has to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time, not just of his era.”
Woolmer was instrumental in signing Lara for the English county in 1994, after he scored a then Test record high score of 375.
Lara went on to help the county win an unprecedented three trophies that year.
“He was a wonderful batsman in my tenure at Warwickshire. His performances won the championship for us. He was a marvellous catalyst on the field and I thought he was brilliant.
“He was also a lovely bloke to work with, a very gentle person,” Woolmer added.
“Coming into this Adelaide Test he was under pressure as he hadn’t scored a run, though his lean period was caused more by things going on off the field than on it,” Woolmer said. “He’s an awesome batsman and the best in our era without a shadow of a doubt.”
Lara plans to play at least until West Indies host the World Cup in 2007, but former England batsman Woolmer believes he has the ability to continue long after that.
“He could go on until he’s 42 the way he’s playing if he wanted to,” Woolmer said. “People say his reactions are slowing down but I don’t think so. He should keep on playing as long as he’s enjoying it.”—Agencies
Leading scorers
(Tabulated under Tests, innings, not out, runs, highest score, 100s, 50s, average):
B.C. Lara (WI) 121 213 7 11187 400* 31 46 54.04
A.R Border (Aus) 156 265 44 11174 205 27 63 50.56
S.R. Waugh (Aus) 168 260 46 10927 200 32 50 51.06
S.R. Tendulkar (Ind) 123 198 21 10134 248* 34 41 57.25
S.M. Gavaskar (Ind) 125 214 16 10122 236* 34 45 51.12
G.A. Gooch (Eng) 118 215 6 8900 333 20 46 42.58
Javed Miandad (Pak) 124 189 21 8832 280* 23 43 52.57
I.V.A. Richards (WI) 121 182 12 8540 291 24 45 50.24
A.J. Stewart (Eng) 133 235 21 8463 190 15 45 39.55
D.I. Gower (Eng) 117 204 18 8231 215 18 39 44.25
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