An era in WI cricket has come to an end, as we all knew it would one day but preferred to believe that the day would never come.

All good things come to an end and this is no different. The only shining star in the WI cricket sky will no longer shine on the field of play. The only purveyor of excellence in WI cricket will no longer perform great deeds to keep WI cricket on the map.

WI cricket will now enter an era minus any area of excellence, an era dominated by mediocrity and the purveyors of mediocrity.

The day of the mediocre is here, and the #9 spot in the test and ODI rankings beckons...perhaps a stopover on the way to #10.

I am happy for Brian - no longer will he have to subject himself to envy, hate, lies, half truths and innuendos in silence. No longer will he have to bear the burden of humiliation owing to the failures of 7+ years experience mediocrities.

No longer will he have to labour single-handedly to save face for their failures and be vilified for his successes that make the mediocrities look bad and thus infuriate their countrymen who would prefer that everyone be as mediocre as their homeboys failures.

I am sorry for WI cricket - it is now inexorably headed to total mediocrity and possible oblivion. As inevitably as Brian Lara's retirement, WI will now "progress" inevitably to being beaten by Bangladesh in tests and ODIs, even if the failures and mediocrities are replaced immediately - which won't happen.

Go in peace Brian, and let them push their fingers in the wounds.

Then, in time, when they have come to realise the errors of their sinful ways, forgive them, Godson, for they know not what they do.

In reply to redbaron

Could not have said it bette myself.

The stench of blood will soon evaporate from the arena, the cleaners will mop up the last traces of blood. No longer will the cry of "kill him" rise from the stands. A strange hush has descended upon the arena, but in the streets beyond the arena, a murmur, though not sounding as one of content can be heard. When will the next battle be I ask.

Are you home now?

In reply to Patrickcity

No...but I'll be there by about 2:30pm...that's in another hour and a half.

In reply to redbaron

Ok will holler at yah

Good luck in your future Brian. You are a god amongst cricketers. The graceful high arc will be missed. At least now I don't have to take a break from work to see Brian bat My boss will be happy.

In reply to redbaron

Well said Godfather :lol:

In reply to redbaron

Man I couldn't have said it better myself!

In reply to zimzimma

Yes you could. Even if you said the same thing it would sound better coming from you.

In reply to redbaron

:lol: :lol:

What an amazing batsman this guy was - the second best batsman I have ever seen after King Viv. But where King Viv was all about shock and awe, Lara, when he was set, had the best staying power of any batsman I've seen. Nobody was better at turning tons to double tons to triple tons (and even quad tons). It's a shame he was always up against it with the teams he played in recently, and there was always all that rubbish about leadership etc. The WI is one of the few places in the world where someone who is so obviously an all time great, and who has achieved so much for his country and region and for his sport, is vilified by some people - you'd never see Ozzies vilifying Waugh, Taylor, or any of our heroes. We don't even vilify Kim Hughes and he was bloody useless.

I would nominate Lara's series against OZ in 1999, where he singlehandedly secured a draw for a declining WI side against a powerful OZ side, as probably the best I've ever seen a single player dominate the OZ. He averaged 91, with three tons and a half-ton in four matches, including a 213 in the 2nd Test and 153* in the third Test, which WI both won. He scored 100 in the 4th Test as well. And this was a side with McGrath, Gillespie and Warne in their prime, with support from MacGill, while Lara had the likes of journeymen like Campbell, Griffith, Collins and Joseph in his.

That 153* in the 3rd Test which WI won by one wicket, where Lara guided WI to victory ranks as one of the best innings I've ever been privileged to witness.

Take a bow mate, and all the best for your retirement.

In reply to OZGOD The WI is one of the few places in the world where someone who is so obviously an all time great, and who has achieved so much for his country and region and for his sport, is vilified by some people - you'd never see Ozzies vilifying Waugh, Taylor, or any of our heroes. We don't even vilify Kim Hughes and he was bloody useless.


Truer words could not be spoken. The West Indies societies are dominated by mimic men who have no understanding of their past, are clueless about their present, and have no vision for the future. The only thing that governs here is a crab-in-the-barrel mentality. Anybody, such as Lara, who exhibits excellence becomes a target, unless there's a cluster such as occurred during Lloyd's era that can stay the meanness by their sheer prowess and ongoing excellence. 8) 8) 8)

In reply to OZGOD



That is the BEST innings in test cricket... I'm sure no one in the MB has seen Bradman Bat, But All have seen Lara Bat... He is undoubtedly the greatest cricketer ever.... :D

In reply to gvenkat

I'm not sure about the best ever, but the 2nd best I've ever seen, for sure, after King Viv. But very close. My top 3 in order are Viv, Lara and Warne.

The legend will slip away.

There always seemed a distinct differencer in the approaches of Viv and Lara, which seemed to reflect the position they found themselves in at the time. As OZGOD says, Viv was all bragaddacio and hyperconfidence, transmiting dominance even in his swagger to the crease. Lara was different. When he walked out, he always looked unsure and under pressure, knowing that the players around him were often substandard and the fate of the team rested on his shoulders. He would play and miss a few times, and struggle to get his feet and hands working as he scratched to 15. You would wonder then what all the fuss was about.

Then it would start. Suddenly a bowler would send down one sort and wide of off stump, and Lara's bat would descend like a sword smashing it away to the boundary before a fielder had time to turn around. More would follow; nobody has ever scored big hundreds as consistently and as quickly as Lara. Out of nothing the game would change in a session.

Lara's batting for me evokes the phrase "fragile dominance"; unlike watching Ponting or Waugh for instance, you never had the feeling that he was there for a day as the team piled up a huge score. The supporting cast was too inept for that to occur regularly, and in any case blocking his way to 200 in the style of Waugh wasn't Lara's way. Watching Lara's masterpieces was a more scintillating thrill; it was a case of seeing how many runs he could score before the pressure of carrying inept teammates brought about his dismissal. And that's something which isn't mentioned often enough in relation to his batting. Had he played for Australia, he'd have averaged 65+. As it was, the West Indies dragged him down through their own ineptitude.

Best wishes on your retirement, and I'm disappointed we won't get to see you play here this year.

In a sad way, the runout almost typified Lara's career - let down by the people around him.