Brian Charles Lara.. thank you! Over the past couple of days, the word entertainer has gained primacy when your name was brought up, you yourself gave it a lot of importance when you asked the few thousands in Kensington Oval if you entertained.. Mr. Lara, you did more than that.. When you were on song, cricket and batsmanship went to whole other level.. it was no longer just a game.. entertainment is a trivial word to describe the artsmanship that was your batting.
Over the greater part of the last fifteen years or so, many people, more knowledgeable than I, have compared and contrasted your batting to that of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar... many hoped you had the consistency in the later part of the 90's that Sachin had... many hoped that you had the attitude and humility that Sachin had which you seemed to have got near the end of your career... many hoped that Sachin had the knack of scoring big ones like you did.. many now hope that Sachin could dominate the bowling like he used to and like you always did.... the truth is you guys could never be the same.
You, a right hander who bats left handed... he, a left hander who bats right handed. You, with the back lift and uninhibited bat swing of a wood cutter and the twinkle toes of a ballet dancer. He, with the picture perfect stance from the Ultimate Cricket Coaching manual, if there was one ever written... but most of all the personalities were so different.. and its that difference in persona that has slipped on to your batsmanship.. You are all flair and style and like the gamble, the thrills... so you never slowed down.. your 34th and last test hundred came in 77 balls and in one session. Sachin's humility and conservative attitude has left him dobbling at spinners.. the man who slog swept Warne from the rough outside leg stump against the spin for six, is now finding Paul Harris a difficult customer to handle!
And like you will no doubt agree, its this difference in personalities that the public at large should understand and admire.. instead of criticising Sachin, one should just wait for him to hang his boots. Who knows, maybe your decision to retire could influence it. Its only now that its sunk in, after you retiring, that its important to celebrate what we have when we have it. Who knows how long it will take for three batsman of the calibre of Sachin, Ponting and you to come along.
Your retirement is more painful now cos it was so sudden..you should have gone out in your whites.. I was thinking thats how it was going to be.. not in your colours the way you did yesterday... but yesterday's match did have a lot of poetic 'justices'.. in the was your team hit 300, with you not making much of a contribution, bodes well for the future which you undoubtedly care for... the way your team lost is ironically a signature of your career, with having the record of being part of the most losses... a record that may never be broken...unlike your 400 and 501.... and the most poetic justice happend with you getting run out.. not bowing out to any bowler, but to a team member.. part of a team that has let you down and the West Indian people down for quite some time now..
Brian Charles Lara... thank you for the memories... memories that will stand the test of time.. hope you find success in whatever path you choose to fill your free time, which you will suddenly have aplenty.. maybe someday you may become coach or manager or WICB President and maybe you could bring about the renaissance of West Indian cricket...The cricket world knows it needs a strong West Indies more than the West Indies seem to be needing cricket.
But for now, the Prince has retired, Long live the Prince!
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