OTD 2004: Brian Lara becomes first cricketer to reclaim highest individual score in Tests

Apr 12, 2023

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Former West Indies batter Brian Lara is often regarded as the greatest player of the generation, along with the great Sachin Tendulkar. The stylish Southpaw, hailing from Trinidad, is one of the most decorated players to ever play the game. Lara had a penchant for scoring big runs in Test cricket and it was on this very day in 2004 that the batting great achieved immortality in the history books after breaching the 400-run mark in an innings, the highest score in a Test match to date.

It was the fourth Test match of the series between the West Indies and England, which saw the visitors travel to Antigua. The home side, led by Brian Lara, opted to bat first after winning the toss. The hosts were off to a solid start despite losing Daren Ganga cheaply at the start of the innings. While Chris Gayle took the attack to the English bowers with a brisk half-century, his skipper held the fort from the other end.

The Windies skipper stitched a 232-run marathon partnership with Ramnaresh Sarwan for the third wicket, registering a brilliant century in the meantime. The home side were comprehensively beaten in their previous three matches in the series with their skipper looking like a shadow of his former shelf. 

However, Lara was out in the middle to prove a point, and he did exactly that by frustrating the English bowlers in a dominant bowling display. At some point, it almost felt like fate as the West Indies skipper had registered his highest Test score at the very same venue, against the same opponents a decade ago.

The run-scoring machine went through the gear without being troubled by what was going on at the other end. Lara not only reclaimed the highest Test score during his marathon innings but also went on to become the first and only cricketer to reach the 400-run mark in a Test innings. He took off his helmet, jumped up in the air, and whirled his bat above his head, before kneeling down and kissing the pitch to celebrate his monumental feat.

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