CATEGORY:SPORTS (CRICKET) ----------------------------- INSIDE GRENADA Friday April 20,2007 by Wallace J.A WEST INDIES cricket legend and batting maestro, Brian Lara, has announced that he will be retiring from both forms of international cricket (test cricket as well as ODIs) at the end of West Indies game against England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados tomorrow. Brian Lara, who will be 38 on May 2, has played 131 test matches for the West Indies, scoring a record 11,953 runs with an average of 52.88. This includes thirty-four 100s and forty-eight 50s. His highest test score is a record 400 not-out. Lara has played 298 ODIs for the West Indies – Saturday’s game will bring him to 299, one short of 300, which would have been another milestone. In ODIs, Lara has scored a total of 10, 387 runs, averaging 40.57. This includes nineteen 100s and sixty-three 50s, his highest score is169. Lara also holds the world record for the highest score in First-class cricket, scoring an amazing 501 not out. He is hailed by many as a cricketing genius and the best batsman in the world. In recent times, Lara has come under intense criticism as a result of the West Indies poor performance in international matches. Many persons were backing the West Indies to be the first host team to win a Cricket World Cup. West Indies dismal performances during the Super Eight games and their subsequent failure to progress to the semi-final round of the competition have enraged cricket enthusiasts in the Caribbean and many persons have been demanding his head - even a few of the ‘great cricketers’ in the region This intense pressure, especially from the press, may have influenced his decision to quit international cricket prematurely. Earlier on, Lara had stated that he will be quitting ODIs after the Cricket World Cup, but he will play test cricket. His change of heart has already led to numerous speculations. Lara has been a prolific scorer in cricket and has been a good ambassador of the game. He has a world following and he has entertained cricket fans all over the world with his brilliant and graceful strokes with the bat. He made batting seem simple and intimidated bowlers who tried to get his wicket. The biggest celebrations coming from opposing teams playing against the West Indies comes when Lara’s wicket falls. This is so because people see Lara as the person who could steal a game from the best team in the world with his bat. Brian Charles Lara’s departure from international cricket will come as a shock to many and will bring tears to the eyes of some cricket fans in the West Indies and around the world. It will also mark the end of another chapter in Windies cricket. Even though he may not have had the sort of success that people expected from him as a cricket captain, there is no denying the fact that he is arguably the best batsman of his generation. Apart from the tragic murder of Pakistan’s cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies might well be remembered as one in which some of the best cricketers, coaches and administrators of the game have either been sacked or been forced to resign their posts because of severe criticisms: Inzaman ul-haq, Duncan Fletcher and Greg Chappell are just a few; now, the biggest name of all, Brian Lara, can be added to the list. No official announcement has yet been made on who will replace Lara as captain of the West Indies cricket team but Lara has hinted that it might be his vice-captain, Guyanese batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan. He appealed to the players and the regional fans to give their full support to the next captain.