da realbet： It is on days like this, with the sun burning down from ablue sky, the pitch flawless, the outfield like a billiardtable top and his mind intently focused on a particularobjective that Brian Lara can elevate batting to heightsreserved for a
Tony Cozier30-Nov-2001It is on days like this, with the sun burning down from ablue sky, the pitch flawless, the outfield like a billiardtable top and his mind intently focused on a particularobjective that Brian Lara can elevate batting to heightsreserved for a select few.It is on days like this that his mastery presents arefreshing contrast to the sordid controversies stoked bymen in high places without an ounce of cricketing skill intheir bones who would undermine the game for the sake oftheir inflated egos.And it is on days like this, as with those earlier in theseries, that we wonder why his average should need boostingup above 50 once more, when 70 would be more appropriate tohis God-given talent, and why he should only now become thesixth West Indian to pass 7 000 Test runs instead of thethird to 8 000.His waning passion for the game clearly rekindled, Larareeled off his second Test hundred in ten days and his 17thin all on the opening day of the third and final Testyesterday that led the West Indies to 327 for three off theallocated 90 overs.He acknowledged at the start of the series he was concernedabout an average that had rapidly dipped a dozen points to47 and set himself the goal of bumping it back up to whereit belongs.His unbeaten 178, spread over five-and-three-quarter-hoursand 285 balls with a straight six from off-spinner ThilanSamaraweera and 20 fours in all directions, carried him towithin 30 runs of achieving his mission, after earlierscores of 178, 40, 74 and 45.It also lifted the West Indies from the early gloom oflosing openers cheaply again. Within five minutes of CarlHooper winning the toss, the left-handed Chris Gayle hadgone third ball for his second successive duck to yetanother indeterminate outside edge for a low catch to thekeeper.Half-hour later, the right-handed Daren Ganga was lbwplaying across an inswinger.The probing left-armer Chaminda Vaas was the bowler eachtime, the Sri Lankan Ashoka deSilva the umpire.A Sri Lankan bowler didn’t claim another wicket all day asLara shared successive partnerships of 194 with RamnareshSarwan, who was run out for 69, and 116 with captain Hooper,who was 52 at the end of a day that reduced even spin wizardMuttiah Muralitharan to 32 wicketless overs and theconcession of nine fours to Lara’s blade.The situation was almost identical to that at a similarstage of the first Test when the West Indies were 316 forthree, with Lara 117 and Hooper 34.Yet their all-round fraility led to defeat by ten wickets asit did when they failed by quarter-hour to hold out for adraw in the second that Sri Lanka won by 131 runs.It left Lara and Hooper with plenty of work to do to ensurea total that would allow their inexperienced bowling thefoundation from which to work and at least end the serieswith some pride restored.Along the way, Lara joined the elite company of Sir VivRichards, Sir Garfield Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidgeand Desmond Haynes as West Indians with over 7 000 Testruns.It was a statistic he acknowledged he was aware of before heset out and, as soon as he completed his 130th run that gothim there, he raised his helmet and his bat to the dressingroom.Such things matter to Lara and they might just be thecatalyst for the relaunching of a career that, when he quitthe captaincy and took a four-months break early in 2000,was in definite doubt.He committed few errors throughout his long vigil. At 85, heedged occasional off-spinner Russel Arnold through wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakarra’s gloves.At 99, he was a whisker away from an lbw decision in favourof Chaminda Vaas during an especially testing spell ofreverse swing with a ball past its 50th over.At 115, in the second over after tea, his call for a sharpsingle to cover’s right left the sprinting Sarwan short ofhis ground on Mahela Jayawardene’s swooping pick-up anddirect hit.It was the fifth time in his young Test career the 21-yearold right-hander had been run out and Lara held his head inanguish at the needless loss.Once again, Sarwan had filled the breach as virtual openeron Gayle’s first-over dismissal and batted with calm,sensible assurance.He took a blow behind the helmet from an outfield returnsoon after lunch that required attention and was neverentirely at ease to Muralitharan’s straight ball. But he wasquick to pounce on any overpitched offering with his elegantdriving. He had one sharp chance to short-leg offMuralitheran at 44 but was determined not to be shiftedbefore misfortune struck four hours into an innings thatoccupied 162 balls and had ten fours.