Brian Charles Lara
Left-hand batsman; occasional right-arm leg-break bowler
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Brian Charles Lara: batsman, born 2 May 1969, Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago. Career: 11,953 Test runs at 52.88.
Player information
| Full name | Brian Charles Lara |
| Born | 2 May 1969, Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Role | Batsman |
| Style | Left-hand batsman; occasional right-arm leg-break bowler |
| Teams | West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, Warwickshire (county, 1994-1998) |
Overview
Lara is remembered as one of the greatest and most graceful stroke-players the sport has produced, at his best capable of dominating attacks through sheer improvisational skill rather than conventional technique alone. His career unfolded largely during West Indies cricket's long decline from its 1970s-80s peak, meaning many of his greatest individual innings came in losing or struggling team contexts, which if anything heightened his individual reputation. His two record-breaking innings — 375 and then, after briefly losing the mark, 400 not out, both against England — bookend a run-scoring peak widely regarded as among the finest sustained batting form in Test history.
Test career
| Format | Mat | Runs | Avg | 100s | 50s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 131 | 11,953 | 52.88 | 34 | 48 | 400* |
ODI career
| Format | Mat | Runs | Avg | 100s | 50s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 299 | 10,405 | 40.48 | 19 | 63 | 169 |
Also holds the First-Class cricket record: 501 not out for Warwickshire v Durham at Edgbaston, June 1994 — still the highest score in first-class cricket history.
Records
- Highest individual score in Test cricket: 400 not out, v England at Antigua, April 2004 — reclaiming a record he had briefly lost to Matthew Hayden's 380 earlier the same year, making Lara the only player to reclaim the Test record after losing it. He first broke the Test record with 375 v England in 1994, in the same purple patch that produced his 501*.
- Led the all-time Test run-scoring list at his retirement, a distinction later passed to Kumar Sangakkara (2014) and others since — held, not current.
Team honours
- 2004 ICC Champions Trophy winner, as West Indies captain
- Runner-up, 1998 ICC Champions Trophy
- Runner-up, 2006 ICC Champions Trophy
Individual awards
- Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World / Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1994, 1995)
- ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2012)
- Trinidad and Tobago's Chaconia Medal (Gold)
Career notes
Captained West Indies across three separate spells (1997-1999/2000, 2002-2004, 2006-2007) during a period of general team decline for the side, often noted alongside his individual brilliance. Retired after the 2007 World Cup (final match 21 April 2007 v England).