ST GEORGE’S, April 21: Brian Lara's batting heroics were all the more impressive given the weakness of the West Indies side he played in, said one of the few men able to judge him from the standpoint of someone approaching an equal.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting, bracketed with West Indies skipper Lara and India's Sachin Tendulkar as the best batsmen currently in world cricket.

“I've always thought he and Sachin (Tendulkar) have been the two greatest batsmen I've ever played against, probably for different reasons,” Ponting said.

“The thing a lot of people don't think much about with Brian Lara, is that he's basically had the weight of that whole team on his shoulders for the best part of 10 years and had to carry their batting and win them games almost by himself.

But his 17-year international career has coincided with a sharp decline in West Indies cricket, his captaincy receiving renewed criticism as the hosts failed to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals.

However, his batting ability has never been in doubt.

“It's a pretty sad day for cricket because he is a tremendous ambassador for the game.”

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming added: “He was a player who created interest in New Zealand and around the world – so he brought more players to the game.”—AFP