Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. 

William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

Greatness is personified in the performance of Brian Lara in the fourth test match against England in 2004 at the Antigua Recreation Ground. He batted for three days to score 400, retaking the record for the highest individual Test score from Matthew Hayden. The latter had smashed Lara’s previous world record of 375 (made in 1994) with his score of 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.

This rout of England’s bowling spoke to his ability to concentrate and his stamina. These two attributes are not often associated with WI Cricket, save and except in association with Larry Gomes or Shiv Chanderpaul. But Lara topped them and gave more. He hit 34 centuries, 9 of which were over 200 runs. More than half of them, 19, were over 150.

His character was identified by Tony Cozier, who dubbed him “The Prince”. Lara wanted to be the greatest cricketer and set his eyes on the previous record (365) held by Garry Sobers. This speaks to his determination. Often, we forget that Lara had to wait on his pick for the WI Cricket team and by the time he got in, the team was beginning to decline. Yet, Lara was an entertaining cricketer. A joy to behold. A fine sportsman who walked without being asked. Sir Clive Lloyd remarked, “”I wish more batsmen would walk, like Brian. Nowadays batsmen only walk when they run out of petrol…not enough honesty in the acknowledging of dismissals”.

It is worth our while to consider these lessons as we face the future. Can we wait our turn patiently, knowing we will make a difference? Will we stick to our goals regardless how long that may take? Will we play by the rules and be gracious to all? Our country needs us to.