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107-629: Arthur Alfred Kenneth Lawrence (3 November 1930 – 17 December 2020) was an English cricketer. Lawrence was a right-handed batsman who bowled leg break . He was born at Marlborough , Wiltshire . Lawrence made his first-class debut for Sussex against Oxford University in 1954, with him playing a second match that season against Leicestershire in the County Championship . He next appeared for Sussex in 1954, making 26 further first-class appearances between 1954 and 1956, with his final first-class appearance coming against Northamptonshire in
214-434: A cover drive (struck towards the cover fielding position), an off drive (towards mid-off), straight drive (straight past the bowler), on drive (between stumps and mid-on) or square drive (towards point). A drive can also be played towards midwicket, although the phrase "midwicket drive" is not in common usage. Drives can be played both off the front and the back foot, but back-foot drives are harder to force through
321-669: A Barbados attack containing Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall , two greats of West Indies teams. Later in the same year, he captained the West Indies team in Australia for the Bicentennial Youth World Cup where the West Indies reached the semi-finals. Later that year, his innings of 182 as captain of the West Indies Under-23s against the touring Indian team further elevated his reputation. His first selection for
428-460: A dead rubber World Cup game against England. He was run out for 18 after a mix-up with Marlon Samuels; England won the game by 1 wicket. Before the end of this World Cup Glenn McGrath stated that Lara is the greatest batsman that he has ever bowled to. On 19 April 2007 Lara announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, indicating that the West Indies vs England match on 21 April 2007 would be his last international appearance. He
535-500: A batter during the first few balls he receives, to give himself time to judge the conditions of the pitch and the bowling before attempting to play a shot. Leaving a delivery is a matter of judgement and technique. The batter still has to watch the ball closely to ensure that it will not hit him or the wicket; he also has to ensure that his bat and hands are kept out of the path of the ball so that it cannot make accidental contact and possibly lead to him being out caught . Batters only leave
642-592: A batting team in Test matches usually includes its most skilled batters in terms of shot-playing ability, because during the middle overs of a day batting is relatively easier than in the initial stages of the innings. If the batting innings of a team begins after the last half-hour of the day, the team might employ a nightwatchman to bat after a dismissal. The nightwatchman is usually a lower-order player, able to protect his wicket primarily by defending dangerous balls and leaving non-dangerous ones rather than looking to produce
749-576: A breakthrough year for Lara, when in the West Indies Youth Championships he scored 498 runs breaking the record of 480 by Carl Hooper set the previous year. He captained the tournament-winning Trinidad and Tobago , who profited from a match-winning 116 from Lara. In January 1988, Lara made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago in the Red Stripe Cup against Leeward Islands . In his second first-class match he made 92 against
856-639: A captain, he scored five double-centuries, which is the highest by any one who is in charge. In 1995 Lara in the Test match away series against England, scored 3 centuries in three consecutive Matches which earned him the Man of the Series award. The Test Series was eventually drawn 2–2. He also held the record for the highest total number of runs in a Test career, after overtaking Allan Border in an innings of 226 played at Adelaide Oval , Australia in November 2005. Lara captained
963-456: A career Test average of 99.94, 38 more than any other batter. Sachin Tendulkar set many modern-day batting records, including being the first player to score 100 international centuries across all three formats of the game. Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in a first-class match (501 not out), and in a Test innings, with 400 not out. Mithali Raj is widely regarded as
1070-562: A fielding team cannot manoeuvre fielders while the bowler is in their run-up, the fielding side is effectively wrong-footed with the fielders out of position. The shot was pioneered by Kevin Pietersen , first performed off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan in England's 2006 home series against Sri Lanka. It was subsequently used in the New Zealand series in England in 2008 when Pietersen performed
1177-409: A full straight delivery on the stumps is generally not recommended because of the risk of lbw . Since a batter is free to play any shot to any type of delivery as he wishes, the above list is by no means a complete list of the strokes that batters choose to play. Many unorthodox, typically high-risk, shots have been used throughout the history of the game. The advent of limited overs cricket has seen
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#17328553605671284-528: A half century in an eventual win for the MCC. After negotiations between Surrey and Lara for the 2010 Friends Provident t20 failed to come to anything, Lara declared that he still wanted to sign a contract to play Twenty20 cricket. Late in the year he joined Southern Rocks , a Zimbabwean side, to compete in the 2010–11 Stanbic Bank 20 Series . On his debut for the Rocks, and his first-ever Twenty20 match, he scored
1391-469: A half-century, top-scoring for the Rocks with 65. He added 34 runs in his next two innings, but then left the competition, citing "commitments elsewhere". After expressing his interest to play in the 2011 fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and despite not having played active cricket for four years, Brian Lara still managed to attract the highest reserve price of $ 400,000 ahead of
1498-420: A lack of defensively minded lower-order batters. In the third innings, the batting team may score quickly to set a large target to the opposition. This scenario usually occurs on the fourth day's play. The batting captain decides how many overs he is prepared to allow the opposition to chase the batting team's total in their fourth innings. The captain usually declares his team's innings at a predetermined time on
1605-432: A large number of runs for his team, but not a complete rabbit , liable to expose other players late in a day. This move prevents a regular players from having to face the last few overs left in the day or bat early the following morning; however, some teams do not employ nightwatchmen for various reasons, including a belief that middle-order player should be able to protect their wicket in poor conditions as well as good, or
1712-410: A low bouncing ball, usually from a slow bowler (However, players like Mal Loye also play the sweep against fast bowlers), by kneeling on one knee, bringing the head down in line with the ball and swinging the bat around in a horizontal arc near the pitch as the ball arrives, sweeping it around to the leg side, typically towards square leg or fine leg. A paddle sweep shot is a sweep shot in which
1819-445: A measure of a player's effectiveness. The main statistic for batting is a player's batting average . This is calculated by dividing the number of runs they have scored by the number of times they have been dismissed (not by the number of innings they have played). Don Bradman is widely regarded as the greatest batter of all time, and he set many batting records during his career in the 1930s and 1940s which remain unbeaten. He achieved
1926-636: A month earlier against Pakistan, scoring 11. In January 1993, Lara scored 277 versus Australia in Sydney. This, his maiden Test century in his fifth Test, was the turning point of the series as West Indies won the final two Tests to win the series 2–1. Lara went on to name his daughter Sydney after scoring 277 at the SCG. Lara holds several world records for high scoring. He has the highest individual score in both first-class cricket (501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994) and Test cricket (400 not out for
2033-503: A promising young player under cricket coach Harry Ramdass. Aged 14, he amassed 745 runs in the schoolboys' league, with an average of 126.16 per innings, which earned him selection for the Trinidad and Tobago national under-16 team. When he was 15 years old, he played in his first West Indian under-19 youth tournament and that same year, Lara represented West Indies in Under-19 cricket. 1987 was
2140-450: A six. Kevin Pietersen , who pioneered switch-hitting, is adept at this, but one could argue that the resulting shot is basically a sweep rather than a reverse sweep. A more classic example of such a shot would be Yusuf Pathan 's six off Robin Peterson. South Africa's AB de Villiers is well known for his ability to hit sixes with the reverse sweep at ease and Glenn Maxwell also often plays
2247-413: A stand of solidarity, when these players were dropped because of their sponsorship deals. The issue was resolved after the first Test of the series against the touring South African team . Lara returned to the team for the second Test (and scored a huge first innings score of 196), but in the process lost his captaincy indefinitely to the newly appointed Shivnarine Chanderpaul . In the next Test, against
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#17328553605672354-442: A stroke and will shift their weight onto the balls of their feet. By doing this they are ready to move swiftly into position to address the ball once they see its path out of the bowler's hand. Although the textbook, side-on stance is the most common, a few international players, such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Steve Smith , use an "open" or "square on" stance. Backlift is how a batter lifts his bat in preparation for hitting
2461-399: A team's innings does not end on the fifth day then the match is drawn , or a stalemate is reached. However, in trying to do so, if the batting team manages to overhaul its deficit and gain a substantial lead (an excess of runs) over the opposition, the captain may consider declaring the innings so they can "force" a victory on the final day, depending on the size of the lead, the readiness of
2568-462: A traditional sweep. The advantage of a reverse sweep is that it effectively reverses the fielding positions and thus is very difficult to set a field to. It is also a risky shot for the batter as it increases the chance of lbw and also is quite easy to top edge to a fielder. It was first regularly played in the 1970s by the Pakistani batter Mushtaq Mohammad , though Mushtaq's brother Hanif Mohammad
2675-422: Is a cross-batted sweep shot played in the opposite direction to the standard sweep, thus instead of sweeping the ball to the leg side, it is swept to the off side, towards a backward point or third man . The batter may also swap his hands on the bat handle to make the stroke easier to execute. The batter may also bring his back foot to the front, therefore, turning the shot into a switch-hit and making it more like
2782-460: Is increasingly the preferred term in some media outlets. Over time a standard batting technique has been developed which is used by most batters. Technique refers to the batter's stance before the ball is bowled as well as the movement of the hands, feet, head, and body in the execution of a cricket stroke. Good technique is characterized by quickly getting into the correct position to play the shot, especially getting one's head and body in line with
2889-485: Is limited. However, the Marillier shot is played over the batter's shoulder to fine leg, but the basis of the scoop stroke is for the batter to go down on one knee to a good length or slightly short-of-length delivery off a fast or medium paced bowler and scoop the ball over the head of the wicket-keeper. The scoop shot is a risky shot to play as the improper execution of this shot may lead to a catch being offered. A version of
2996-418: Is no requirement to score runs as quickly as possible, thus allowing the batter to choose which deliveries to play. A leg glance is a delicate straight-batted shot played at a ball aimed slightly on the leg side, using the bat to flick the ball as it passes the batter, and requiring some wrist work as well, deflecting towards the square leg or fine leg area. The stroke involves deflecting the bat-face towards
3103-409: Is sometimes credited as the inventor. Cricket coach Bob Woolmer has been credited with popularising the stroke. The most famous example of a reverse sweep backfiring was in the case of Mike Gatting of England against Allan Border of Australia in the 1987 Cricket World Cup Final . With England on course for victory, Gatting attempted a reverse sweep off the first delivery bowled by Border, top-edged
3210-488: Is the only man to have reclaimed the Test record score, having scored 375 against England in 1994, a record that stood until Matthew Hayden 's 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. His 400 not out also made him the second player (after Donald Bradman ) to score two Test triple-centuries, and the second (after Bill Ponsford ) to score two first-class quadruple-centuries. He has scored nine double-centuries in Test cricket, third after Bradman's twelve and Kumar Sangakkara 's eleven. As
3317-466: Is widely used in modern cricket. The shot is advantageous in fast bouncy tracks and is seen commonly in Twenty20 cricket. Notable players to hit upper cut include Sachin Tendulkar , Virender Sehwag and Brendan Taylor . A switch hit is a shot where a batter changes their handedness and posture to adopt a stance the mirror image of their traditional handedness while the bowler is running in to bowl. As
Arthur Lawrence - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-431: The 1956 County Championship . In total, Lawrence made 28 first-class appearances for Sussex, scoring 632 runs at an average of 17.08, with a high score of 63 not out . This score was one of three fifties he made and came against Oxford University in 1955, in a match in which he also recorded another half century score of 62. He took a single wicket during his first-class career. Lawrence died on 17 December 2020, at
3531-690: The D Y Patil International University of India. Lara has established the Pearl and Bunty Lara Foundation, which is a charitable organisation in memory of his parents that aims to address health and social care issues. He is an Ambassador for Sport of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and travels on a diplomatic passport to promote his country throughout the world. On 7 September 2008 he took part in Soccer Aid 2008, and on 6 June 2010 in Soccer Aid 2010, playing for
3638-599: The Marylebone Cricket Club match against a touring Pakistan team, scoring 37 from 32 balls. In 2012, Lara became involved with the Bangladesh Premier League team Chittagong Kings as their brand ambassador. On the occasion of bicentennial anniversary of Lord's ground he played for the team of MCC, under the leadership of Sachin Tendulkar against the Rest of World XI in a 50 over game. He went on to score
3745-457: The clip off the legs . The shot is played with the bat coming through straight as for the on drive, but the bat face is angled towards the leg side. It can be played both off the front foot or the back foot, either off the toes or from the hips. The shot is played between the mid-on and square leg region. Typically played along the ground, the flick can also be played by lofting the ball over the infield. The second class of cricket stroke comprises
3852-519: The 2022 season of the Indian Premier League . Lara's father died in 1989 of a heart attack. His mother died in 2002 of cancer. Lara has two daughters with Trinidadian journalist and model Leasel Rovedas. Lara has dated former British lingerie model Lynnsey Ward. In 2009, Lara was made an honorary Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to West Indian and Australian cricket. Lara
3959-730: The 270 runs scored by Sir Donald Bradman in The Ashes Test match of 1937. Muttiah Muralitharan has hailed Lara as his toughest opponent among all batsmen in the world. Lara was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World awards in 1994 and 1995 and is also one of only three cricketers to receive the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year , the other two being Sir Garfield Sobers and Shane Warne . Brian Lara
4066-577: The IPL players' auction in early January 2011; however, no franchise bought him. In July 2014, he played for the MCC side in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord's . On 18 November 2016, Brian Lara signed with Newcastle C&S D5's side The Bennett Hotel Centurions. In December 2021 Brian Lara was appointed as Batting Coach and Strategic Advisor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team for
4173-736: The Man of the Match award for both matches and was also named Man of the Series. The Wisden 100 rates Lara's 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown in 1998–99 as the second-best innings ever after Sir Donald Bradman's 270 against England in Melbourne in 1936–37. In 2001 Lara was named the Man of the Carlton Series in Australia with an average of 46.50, the highest average by a West Indian in that series, scoring two half centuries and one century, 116 against Australia. That same year Lara amassed 688 runs in
4280-422: The West Indies against England in 2004). Lara amassed his world record 501 in 474 minutes off only 427 balls. He hit 308 in boundaries (10 sixes and 62 fours). His partners were Roger Twose (115 partnership – 2nd wicket), Trevor Penney (314 – 3rd), Paul Smith (51 – 4th) and Keith Piper (322 unbroken – 5th). Earlier in that season Lara scored six centuries in seven innings while playing for Warwickshire. He
4387-610: The West Indies cricket team for the third time. This followed the resignation of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had been captain for thirteen months—in which the West Indies won just one of the 14 Test matches they had competed. In May 2006, Lara led the West Indies to successful One-Day series victories against Zimbabwe and India. Lara's team played Australia in the finals of the DLF Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy where they finished runners up in both finals. On 16 December 2006 he became
Arthur Lawrence - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-439: The West Indies from 1998 to 1999, when West Indies suffered their first whitewash at the hands of South Africa . Following this they played Australia in a four-Test series which was drawn 2–2, with Lara scoring 546 runs including three centuries and one double hundred. In the second Test at Kingston he scored 213 while in the third Test he scored 153* in the second innings as West Indies chased down 311 with one wicket left. He won
4601-524: The West Indies team to win the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy , the first time the team won any major ICC trophy since winning the 1979 Cricket World Cup . Lara topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions, and his match-winning performance of 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown , Barbados in 1999 was rated by Wisden the second-best batting performance in the history of Test cricket, next only to
4708-432: The accuracy of its conception and the technical ability with which it is carried out. A key aspect of the strategy of batting is the trade-off between the level of aggression (trying to score) and the risk involved of being dismissed. An optimal batting strategy balances several considerations: the number of wickets left, the target that has been set (if batting last) and how the risk of losing a wicket increase when increasing
4815-771: The age of 90. Batting (cricket) In cricket , batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket . Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter regardless of whether batting is their particular area of expertise. Historically, batsman and batswoman were used, and these terms remain in widespread use. Batters have to adapt to various conditions when playing on different cricket pitches , especially in different countries; therefore, as well as having outstanding physical batting skills, top-level batters will have quick reflexes, excellent decision-making skills, and be good strategists. During an innings two members of
4922-403: The back foot is known as a backward defensive . These strokes may be used to score runs, by manipulating the block to move the ball into vacant portions of the infield, in which case a block becomes a "push". Pushing the ball is one of the more common ways batters manipulate the strike. Leaving and blocking are employed much more often in first-class cricket (including Test matches ), as there
5029-404: The ball , one's feet placed next to where the ball would bounce and then swinging the bat at the ball to make contact at the precise moment required for the particular stroke being played. The movement of the batter for a particular delivery depends on the shot being attempted. Front-foot shots are played with the weight on the front foot (left foot for a right-hander ) and are usually played when
5136-412: The ball and was caught by wicketkeeper Greg Dyer. England subsequently lost momentum and eventually lost the match. Because of the unorthodox nature of hand and body position, it is often difficult to get a lot of power behind a reverse sweep; in many situations, the intention is to glance or cut the ball to the back leg area. However, on rare occasions, players have been able to execute reverse sweeps for
5243-399: The ball downwards. A mistimed cut with an open-faced bat (with the face of the bat facing the bowler) will generally lead to the ball rising in the air, giving a chance for the batter to be caught. Although confusingly named a drive, the square drive is actually a horizontal bat shot, with identical arm mechanics to that of the square cut. The difference between the cut and the square drive is
5350-407: The ball into gaps where there are no fielders . Unorthodox shots are typically—but not always—more high-risk than orthodox shots due to some aspects of good batting technique being abandoned. The stance is the position in which a batter stands to have the ball bowled to them. An ideal stance is "comfortable, relaxed and balanced", with the feet 40 centimetres (16 in) apart, parallel and astride
5457-403: The ball is deflected towards fine leg with a stationary or near-stationary bat extended horizontally towards the bowler, whereas the hard sweep shot is played towards square leg with the bat swung firmly in a horizontal arc. Typically the sweep shot will be played to a legside delivery, but it is also possible for a batter to sweep the ball to the leg side from outside off stump. Attempting to sweep
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#17328553605675564-412: The ball is pitched up to the batter, while back-foot shots are played putting the weight onto the back foot, usually to bowling that is pitched short. Shots may also be referred to as vertical or straight-bat shots, in which the bat is swung vertically at the ball (e.g. when playing a drive or leg glance), or horizontal or cross-bat shots, in which the bat is swung horizontally at the ball (e.g. when playing
5671-407: The ball when they are certain that it will not hit the stumps. A drive is a straight-batted shot, played by swinging the bat in a vertical arc through the line of the ball , hitting the ball in front of the batter along the ground. It is one of the most common shots in a batter's armory and often the first shot taught to junior cricketers. Depending on the direction the ball travels, a drive can be
5778-427: The ball, bending their front knee to bring the bat down to the anticipated height of the ball. By moving forward, the batter is also able to intercept the ball immediately after it has pitched, thus nullifying any potentially dangerous lateral movement. A back foot shot is typically used to address a ball arriving at between thigh and head height. The batter will step back and, if necessary, stand on their tiptoes to raise
5885-421: The ball. While the bat should be raised as vertically as possible, coaching manuals often suggest that correct technique is for the bat to be slightly angled from the perpendicular; a common instruction is to point the face of the bat in the direction of first or second slip . Some players (notably, in recent times, Brian Lara , Virender Sehwag ) have employed an exaggerated backlift. Others, who have employed
5992-423: The bat is a vertical alignment at the point of contact. Vertical-bat shots are typically played with the batter's head directly above the point of contact so he is able to accurately judge the line of the ball. At this point, the bat can either be stationary and facing straight back down the wicket – known as a block or defensive shot; angled to one side – known as a glance or deflection; or travelling forwards towards
6099-430: The bat to the height of the ball. By stepping back towards the wicket, the batter also receives the advantage of having an extra small amount of time to react to any unexpected lateral movement or variation in bounce. Vertical-bat or straight-bat shots can be played off either the front foot or the back foot depending upon the anticipated height of the ball at the moment it reaches the batter. The characteristic position of
6206-449: The batter have time to sight the length and adopt the kneeling position required for the slog sweep. The front leg of the shot is usually placed wider outside leg stump to allow for a full swing of the bat. An upper cut is a shot played towards third man , usually hit when the ball is pitched outside the off stump with an extra bounce. It is a dangerous shot which can edge the ball to keeper or slips if not executed correctly. The shot
6313-431: The batter must take into consideration the bowler's strategy, the position of the fielders, the pitch conditions, and his own strengths and weaknesses. The strategy he will decide on will incorporate a number of preconceived attacking responses to the various deliveries he may anticipate receiving, designed specifically to score runs with minimal risk of being dismissed. The success of this strategy will be dependent upon both
6420-405: The batter's head typically not being perfectly in line with the ball at the point of contact. A cut is a cross-batted shot played at a short-pitched ball, placing it wide on the off side. The batter makes contact with the ball as it draws alongside or passes him and therefore requires virtually no effort on his part as he uses the bowler's pace to divert the ball. A square cut is a shot hit into
6527-419: The batting side are on the pitch at any time: the one facing the current delivery from the bowler is called the striker , while the other is the non-striker . When a batter is out , they are replaced by a teammate. This continues until the end of the innings , which in most cases is when 10 of the team members are out, whereupon the other team gets a turn to bat. Batting tactics and strategy vary depending on
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#17328553605676634-419: The batting side speeds up the run rate (runs per over) until the captain declares. If, however, a batting team is significantly behind the opposition in terms of runs going into the fourth day of a Test match, a typical strategy by the batting team involves playing defensively to avoid losing their wickets. This ensures that they occupy the most time until the match draws to a close on the fifth day, because if
6741-402: The boundary edge. The slog can be an effective shot because all the batter's power and body weight can be put into swinging the bat at the ball. A slog sweep is a slog played from the kneeling position used to sweep. Slog sweeps are usually directed over square-leg rather than to mid-wicket. It is almost exclusively used against reasonably full-pitched balls from slow bowlers, as only then does
6848-432: The bowler – known as a drive. A block stroke is usually a purely defensive stroke designed to stop the ball from hitting the wicket or the batter's body. This shot has no strength behind it and is usually played with a light or "soft" grip (commentators often refer to "soft hands") and merely stops the ball moving towards the wicket. A block played on the front foot is known as a forward defensive , while that played on
6955-592: The bowlers, and the state of the pitch. As One Day International matches have a limited set of overs , batters try to score quickly. Doing so, batters should aim for a higher run rate than the one which would maximize their expected personal score. It is optimal for batters to take the risk of being dismissed and being replaced by another teammate. This higher risk strategy makes the best of the limited number of overs. Scoring quickly typically means trying to score at least one run per ball bowled. Most batter manage to score at an average of four runs an over (i.e. four runs in
7062-458: The crease. Additionally, the front shoulder should be pointing down the wicket, the head facing the bowler, the weight equally balanced and the bat near the back toe. A slight crouch is adopted in order to be in a more effective striking posture whilst also isometrically preloading the muscles; this allows the stroke to be played more dynamically. As the ball is about to be released, the batter will lift their bat up behind in anticipation of playing
7169-406: The direction of the fine leg fielding position. The stroke is very difficult to play intentionally, and is more often a mistake by the batter. It is a risky stroke, and can easily result in the batter playing on to their stumps, resulting in the batter being dismissed as bowled . The fundamental aim of each batter is to find a means of safely scoring runs against each bowler he faces. To do this,
7276-402: The end of limited-overs matches because it is difficult to hit such balls to the boundary. The shot got its fame through MS Dhoni , who played it on a regular basis as a way to score boundaries against full and yorker length deliveries. The French cut is a stroke where the ball is hit with the inside edge of the bat, meaning it is directed between the batter and the stumps, and moves away in
7383-532: The fans. Lara stated this would be his last appearance in international cricket, he has also indicated his interest in retaining some involvement in the sport. On 23 July 2007 Lara agreed to sign for the Indian Cricket League . He is the former captain of the Mumbai Champs. He volunteered to play for his home team Trinidad and Tobago during the start of 2008 domestic season, after not playing for them for
7490-475: The first player for the West Indies to pass 10,000 One Day International runs, and, along with Sachin Tendulkar , one of only two players, at the time, to do so in both forms of the game. On 10 April 2007 Lara confirmed his retirement from one-day cricket post the 2007 Cricket World Cup . A few days later he announced that he would in fact be retiring from all international cricket after the tournament. Lara played his final international game on 21 April 2007 in
7597-417: The fourth day so they can bowl at least 20 overs on that day and 90 overs on the last day. A good number of overs to bowl at the opposition team in the fourth innings is essential because usually on the fourth and fifth days of a Test match conditions are good for bowling (especially slow bowling), with the pitch having experienced a fair degree of wear and tear. Thus, to make the target as difficult as possible,
7704-558: The full West Indies team followed in due course, but unfortunately coincided with the death of his father and Lara withdrew from the team. In 1989, he captained a West Indies B Team in Zimbabwe and scored 145. In 1990, at the age of 20, Lara became Trinidad and Tobago's youngest-ever captain, leading them that season to victory in the one-day Geddes Grant Shield . It was also in 1990 that he made his belated Test debut for West Indies against Pakistan , scoring 44 and 5. He had made his ODI debut
7811-412: The greatest batter of all time in women's cricket . She set many modern-day records, including being the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket. Any player, regardless of their area of special skill, is referred to as a "batter" (historically as a "batsman" or "batswoman") while they are batting. The batter's act of hitting the ball is called a "shot" or "stroke". A player who is selected for
7918-429: The height of the ball at contact: the cut is played to a ball bouncing waist high or above with the batting batter standing tall, whereas the square drive is played to a wide ball of shin height with the batter bending his knees and crouching low to make contact. A pull is a cross-batted shot played to a ball bouncing around waist height by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc in front of the body, pulling it around to
8025-419: The horizontal-bat shots, also known as cross-bat shots: the cut, the square drive, the pull, the hook, and the sweep. Typically, horizontal bat shots have a greater probability of failing to make contact with the ball than vertical bat shots and therefore are restricted to deliveries that are not threatening to hit the stumps, either by dint of being too wide or too short. The bat is swung in a horizontal arc, with
8132-437: The increased use of unorthodox shots to hit the ball into gaps where there are no fielders placed. Unorthodox shots are rarely used in first-class cricket as the pace of the game is slower and it is relatively more important to keep one's wicket than to try to score runs off every ball. A few unorthodox shots have gained enough popularity or notoriety to have been given their own names and entered common usage. A reverse sweep
8239-424: The innings when the number of overs left is small (there is not much to lose in taking the risk of ending all out). Research has shown that teams broadly follow these principles. A noticeable exception is when batters face the possibility of scoring a personal milestone (e.g. century ), in that case, they tend to decrease their risk-taking below what is optimal for the team in order to increase their chance of reaching
8346-417: The leg side at the last moment, head and body moving inside the line of the ball. This shot is played "off the toes, shins or hip". It is played off the front foot if the ball is pitched up at the toes or shin of the batter, or off the back foot if the ball bounces at waist/hip height to the batter. Although the opposite term off glance is not employed within cricket, the concept of angling the bat face towards
8453-420: The leg side towards mid-wicket or square leg. The term hook shot is used when the shot is played against a ball bouncing at or above chest high to the batter, the batter thus "hooking" the ball around behind square leg, either along the ground or in the air. Pull and hook shots can be played off the front or back foot, with the back foot being more typical. A sweep is a cross-batted front foot shot played to
8560-417: The leg side. To play a scoop shot, the batter is on the front foot and aims to get beneath the bounce of the ball and hit it directly behind the stumps, up and over the wicket-keeper. This shot, though risky in the execution, has the advantage of being aimed at a section of the field where a fielder is rarely placed – particularly in Twenty20 and One Day International cricket where the number of outfielders
8667-401: The line of the ball. Although most drives are deliberately struck along the ground to reduce the risk of being dismissed caught, a batter may decide to play a lofted drive to hit the ball over the infielders and potentially even over the boundary for six. A flick shot is a straight-batted shot played on the leg side by flicking a full-length delivery using the wrists. It is often also called
8774-427: The local Harvard Coaching Clinic at the age of six for weekly coaching sessions on Sundays. As a result, Lara had a very early education in correct batting technique. Lara's first school was St. Joseph's Roman Catholic primary. He then went to San Juan Secondary School, which is located on Moreau Road, Lower Santa Cruz. A year later, at fourteen years old, he moved on to Fatima College where he started his development as
8881-470: The milestone. Brian Lara Honours and Achievements Video Games Brian Charles Lara , TC , OCC (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer , widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket , with 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, and
8988-455: The more unorthodox open stance, such as Peter Willey , had a more abbreviated backlift. Depending upon the path of the ball, the batter will either move forward or back in his attempt to intercept it. A forward movement is designated a front foot shot , whereas a backward movement is designated a back foot shot . A front foot shot is typically used to address a ball arriving at between ankle and thigh height. The batter will step forward towards
9095-406: The off side at near to 90 degrees from the wicket (towards point). A late cut is played as or after the ball passes the batter's body and is hit towards the third man position. The cut shot is typically played off the back foot but is also sometimes played off the front foot against slower bowling. The cut should be played with the face of the bat rolling over the ball to face the ground thus pushing
9202-412: The offside to deflect the ball away from the wicket for the purpose of scoring runs through the off side is a commonly used technique. This would commonly be described instead as "running (or steering) the ball down to the third man". The leave is sometimes considered a cricket shot, even though the batter physically does not play at or interfere with the ball as it passes him. The leave is often used by
9309-679: The previous two years. He made his comeback a memorable one with a match winning hundred over Guyana, followed by a dismissive undefeated half-century in the second innings, scored at over two runs per ball. In the third-round game (Trinidad and Tobago got a bye in the second round). Lara suffered a fractured arm against the Leeward Islands in St Maarten on 19 January, which kept him out of the ICL season. He nevertheless affirmed his commitment to returning to Twenty20 cricket, and on 27 June 2010 appeared for
9416-461: The pull or cut shot). While a batter is not limited in where or how they may hit the ball, the development of good technique has gone hand in hand with the development of a standard or orthodox cricket shots played to specific types of deliveries. These "textbook" shots are standard material found in many coaching manuals. The advent of limited overs cricket , with its emphasis on rapid run-scoring, has led to increasing use of unorthodox shots to hit
9523-441: The record for the highest individual score in an international Test innings, after scoring 400 not out at Antigua during the 4th test against England in 2004. Lara also held, for 18 years, the record of scoring the highest number of runs in a single over of a Test match when he scored 28 runs off an over by Robin Peterson of South Africa in 2003, until his record was overtaken by Jasprit Bumrah in 2022. As captain, Lara led
9630-546: The reverse sweep. A slog is a powerful pull shot played over mid-wicket, usually, hit in the air in an attempt to score a six . A shot would be referred to as a slog when it is typically played at a delivery that would not ordinarily be pulled. A slog can also be described as hitting the ball to " cow corner ". This phrase is designed to imply that the batter is unsophisticated in their stroke play and technique by suggesting they would be more at home playing on more rudimentary cricket fields in which there may be cows grazing along
9737-454: The same opponents, he scored a 176 in the first innings. After a one-day series against South Africa, he scored his first Test century against the visiting Pakistanis in the first Test at Kensington Oval , Bridgetown , Barbados which the West Indies eventually won. For his performances in 2005, he was named in the World Test XI by ICC. On 26 April 2006 Lara was reappointed the captain of
9844-684: The scoop stroke called the Dilscoop was developed by Sri Lankan right-handed batter Tillakaratne Dilshan during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 . The helicopter shot is the act of hitting the ball by means of a wristy flick, using the bottom-hand as the dominant force. The shot gets its name from the flourish completing the stroke, with the bat being circled overhead. It has been considered an unconventional and innovative stroke which, when hit executed effectively, can be used to score boundaries, even against good yorkers or fuller-length deliveries, which have traditionally been used by faster bowlers towards
9951-514: The shot twice in the same over against Scott Styris on his way to making an unbeaten century. David Warner , the Australian opener, is also a frequent user of the switch hit and used it to great effect against the Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first Twenty20 of the Indian cricket team's tour to Australia 2012. Glenn Maxwell and Ben Stokes also play the switch hit. The legality of
10058-464: The situation, batters may abandon attempts at run-scoring in an effort to preserve their wicket, or may attempt to score runs as quickly as possible with scant concern for the possibility of being dismissed. Unlike various other bat-and-ball sports , cricket batters may hit the ball in any direction to score runs, and can use creative shots to do so. As with all other cricket statistics , batting statistics and records are given much attention and provide
10165-402: The six ball over). The optimal level of risk should vary depending on different factors. It should be higher when the team has more wickets left as they provide of a cushion of security (against the risk of ending all out). It should be higher when the pitch provides good conditions for batting, making it easier to score without great risk of being dismissed. It should increase towards the end of
10272-510: The starting players in Test cricket are often chosen for their sound technique and ability to defend their wicket, because the first 1–2 hours of an innings, especially if it begins in the morning, are usually characterized by good conditions for bowling, specifically in terms of the pace and bounce of the pitch and the lateral movement of the ball in the air. The first-drop batter is usually also chosen for his sound technique, so as to stabilize his end in case an opener gets out. The middle order of
10379-453: The strike rate. These strategies depend on the match situation and on the match format. Strategies therefore vary greatly between the three forms of international cricket: Test , One Day International and T20 cricket. In Test cricket, the usual aim is to score as high a total as possible. As the overs are unlimited, a batter can take his time to score runs. In general, 90 overs have to be bowled per day in Test match cricket. The openers or
10486-511: The switch hit was questioned when first introduced but cleared by the International Cricket Council as legal. The shot is risky because a batter is less proficient in the other handedness and is more likely to make a mistake in the execution of the shot. A scoop shot has been used by a number of first-class players. It is played to short-pitched straight balls that would traditionally be defended or, more aggressively, pulled to
10593-456: The team mainly for their batting skill is often referred to as simply a batter, regardless of whether they are currently batting, or sometimes as a specialist batter. A specialist bowler or wicket-keeper, on the other hand, would only be referred to as a batter when they are actually batting. In 2021 the Laws of Cricket were amended to officially use the term "batter" for gender neutrality , and this
10700-477: The three match away Test series against Sri Lanka making three centuries, and one fifty—including the double-century and a century in the first and second innings of the 3rd Test match at the Sinhalese Sports Ground, equating to 42% of the team's runs in that series. These extraordinary performances led Muttiah Muralitharan to state that Lara was the most dangerous batsman he had ever bowled to. Lara
10807-443: The type of match being played as well as the current state of play. The main concerns for the batters are not to lose their wicket and to score as many runs as quickly as possible. These objectives generally conflict—to score quickly, risky shots must be played, increasing the chance that the batter will be dismissed, while the batter's safest choice with a careful wicket-guarding stroke may be not to attempt any runs at all. Depending on
10914-589: Was appointed honorary member of the Order of Australia on 27 November 2009, and in September 2012 he was inducted to the ICC's Hall of Fame as a 2012–13 season inductee. In 2013, Lara received Honorary Life Membership of the MCC becoming the 31st West Indian to receive the honor. Brian Lara is popularly nicknamed as "The Prince of Port of Spain" or simply "The Prince". Brian is one of eleven siblings. His father Bunty and one of his older sisters Agnes Cyrus enrolled him in
11021-512: Was conferred with an honorary doctorate of laws by the University of the West Indies, St Augustine . On 14 September 2012 he was inducted to the ICC's Hall of Fame at the awards ceremony held in Colombo, Sri Lanka as a 2012–13 season inductee. The Brian Lara Stadium , in Trinidad and Tobago, opened in 2017, was named in his honour. On 4 July 2019 Lara was bestowed with an honorary doctorate by
11128-531: Was named both in the World Test XI and ODI XI by ICC. In March 2005, Lara declined selection for the West Indies team because of a dispute over his personal Cable & Wireless sponsorship deal, which clashed with the Cricket Board's main sponsor, Digicel . Six other players were involved in this dispute, including stars Chris Gayle , Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo . Lara said he declined selection in
11235-635: Was one of four persons to receive the highest award of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in July. Lara received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield on Wednesday 10 January 2007. The ceremony took place at the Trinidad Hilton, Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago. In September 2009, Lara was inducted as an honorary lifetime member of the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club. On 29 October 2011 Lara
11342-505: Was reappointed as captain against the touring Australians in 2003, and struck 110 in his first Test match back in charge, showing a return to stellar performance. Later that season, under his captaincy, West Indies won the two match Test series against Sri Lanka 1–0 with Lara making a double-century in the First Test. In September 2004, West Indies won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy in England under his captaincy. For his performances in 2004, he
11449-545: Was run out after a bad mixup with Marlon Samuels for 18, as England went on to win the match by one wicket. He announced before the 2007 Cricket World Cup that this would be his last appearance in One Day Internationals. After his last match, in the post-game presentation interview, he asked the fans, "Did I entertain?", to which he received a resounding cheer from the crowd, after which he went out and took his 'lap of honour' where he met and shook hands with many of
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