Brian Lara turns 53: Wishes pour in for West Indies batting great

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara is celebrating his 53rd birthday today, 2 May. Regarded as one of the greatest batter in world cricket, Lara has scored more than 10,000 runs in the 50-over format and also slammed 19 centuries in his 17-year-long career.

Lara proudly holds the record for the highest-ever individual score in first-class cricket. While playing for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, Lara scored 501 not out.

The West Indies batting great represented his country in 299 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and also played 131 Test matches. To date, he is the leading run-getter for his country in the longest format wherein he managed to score 11,953 runs with 34 hundred, nine double centuries and 48 fifties.

It was in 2004, when fans went berserk watching Lara play a knock of 400 runs against England in the fourth Test of the four-match series at the Antigua Recreation Stadium. The score still remains the highest individual score in Test cricket.

The veteran cricketer also shares the record of scoring the highest number of runs in a Test match in a single over. It was in 2003 when Lara smashed South Africa’s Robin Peterson for 28 runs in a single over.

At present, Lara is the batting coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022, who stand fourth in the list with 10 points. As the cricket legend celebrates his birthday, wishes have been pouring in from all corners of the globe.

The official handle of Sunrisers Hyderabad wished their batting mentor with a post terming him as ‘one of the greatest batsmen ever’.

Here are some more reactions:

Lara hung his boots from international cricket in 2007. The legend concluded his cricketing career with 22,358 runs and 53 international centuries to his name.

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