Brian Lara

One look at Brian Charles Lara's Test scores, and there is no doubt in one's mind that here is a batsman with a vociferous appetite for runs. In the year 1994, he broke his countryman Gary Sobers' long standing record for many decades by scoring a brilliant 375. As if to prove that this was not a fluke, he followed it up with an unbeaten 501 in a first class match for Warwickshire the following season. In 2004, Lara became the first batsman to reclaim the highest individual Test score record by scoring a 400 against England, in the process breaking Hayden's 380.

Lara's attitude towards cricket can be best described as moody brilliance. To go with the above records, he is probably the only batsman to have tackled Murali the way he did, scoring 600-odd runs in a three match series in Sri Lanka, his innings epitomized by quicksilver feet movement. And then there were times, when he looked good to be anywhere but the batting crease, almost as if his mind's not on the job. As if to drive home a point, Lara's overall Test average of almost 53 is not too dissimilar from his 51 against the Aussies, and it was only 41 against NZ.

Brian Lara's ODI record of more than 10,000 runs at an average of almost 41 was equally great, but somehow, his amazing Test innings overshadowed the same. Incidentally, Lara became the second batsman, after Sachin Tendulkar to score more than 10,000 runs in both forms of the game.

On retirement, Lara is one of the few cricketers, whose Test average was more than his First Class one!