Lara reflects on anniversary of historic 400 not out

LEGENDARY TT and West Indies cricketer Brian Lara reflects on his historic innings of 400 not out against England, at the Antigua Recreation Ground, St John’s.

The 50-year-old Lara achieved this milestone on April 12 2004, becoming the lone batsman to reach a quadruple century in a Test innings, and regaining his world record for the highest Test individual score after Matthew Hayden (380 against Zimbabwe) broke Lara’s previous mark (375 against England). Lara hopes that the process he took to regain his world record will serve as an inspiration to his fans, the TT public and the world, during the current coronavirus pandemic:

400 NOT OUT, FROM WHERE I STOOD

Thank you for the great response to my last effort to take you through one of my greatest experiences in life! I never really expected to get such positive feedback from so many of you, so I am truly grateful for that.

(Sunday marked) the 16th anniversary of my 400 not out against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground. I am happy to partner with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to bring another momentous occasion to you from where I stood. This was a Test series, that all of us at one point wanted to forget. It was devastating, playing against our oldest rival England and being ripped apart game after game. The history of our cricket in its early days was entrenched in colonialism, so much so that in 1950, after we triumphed against England in England for the first time, the West Indies cricket team became the heart and soul of every West Indian. The men in white flannels, donning the maroon cap were now representing and stood as that pillar of hope which was so desperately needed during those times. The series in 2004 against England, started in Jamaica and after the first innings, England nor the West Indies had the advantage, but then disaster struck. We were bowled out for 47 in the second innings and suffered an embarrassing defeat.

The Queen’s Park Oval, was the venue for the Second Test and some more below-par cricket caused us to suffer another defeat.

Now thinking about it there is so much similarity and relevance in how I felt then and what we are experiencing now as a nation.

Today we are suffering, everything is at a standstill. Our friends, family at home and abroad, our brothers and sisters throughout the Caribbean are all experiencing their toughest economic time...feeling frustrated, helpless and of course very scared, not sure how long your resources are going to last, because of what we are going through right now.

We are fighting an invisible enemy that is partial to none. We are all feeling the same, healthy and willing to work but this covid19 virus has been able to push us back. Our backs are now against the wall.

I felt the same halfway through the series against England. Two Test matches, 31 runs in four innings, and I really didn’t know where I was going wrong. I was confused and not sure how I was going to score runs.

But I kept aggressively working on the physical side of my game and quietly whenever I had alone time, kept saying to myself stay positive, things have to get better.

The Third Test match came (in Barbados) and a hat-trick of defeats against England was the end result. During that Test, I took a couple body blows but I hung in there and started feeling more confident about my game. Nothing to shout about I only got a couple thirties but I felt that some batting form was coming back.

A statement that we hear a lot these days – flatten the curve. Well, the downward spiral I was on started to even out and I left Barbados with a lot more confidence than I arrived with. We won the toss in Antigua and there was some hesitance to bat first, every game before that we batted first with no success but it was impossible looking at the pitch to do anything but bat first.

I walked in after we lost a couple wickets, started cautiously to ensure I got my eyes in, picked up what the pitch was doing and then I got into the groove.

Did I have the world record on my mind? No, how could I when I only had 100 runs in six innings prior to that. I just wanted, first of all, to bat us to safety so we didn’t lose all four Test matches to England. When it became apparent that it could happen, the record could be regained? I suppose late on the second day when the English bowlers looked tired and they all looked jaded in the field. But what I really want to say is that I have learnt over the years the need to embrace feelings of helplessness, frustration and nervousness and use them and turn them into positives.

There is no greater feeling than when achieving and ascending in the face of extreme adversity. We can overcome this and we will.

Right now is the best time to start putting together a plan for you and your family for the future. #success #postcoronavirus #godisgreat