On this day, December 6, 1990. A modern-day batting genius Brian Lara made his Test debut for West Indies against Pakistan in Lahore. Lara made his red-ball debut at the age of 21 during the third Test match of the series between Pakistan and the West Indies. The left-handed batter scored just 49 runs (first and second innings combined) in his first appearance in the whites for the West Indies but even then there was a certainty in his shot selection and timing that a star was in the making.
After winning the toss, then West Indies skipper Desmond Haynes opted to bat, a decision which did not pay off as they lost three wickets quickly. Batting at number four Lara along with Carl Hooper added 95 runs for the fourth wicket to stabilise Windies innings before Lara was dismissed by Abdul Qadir for 44 in his first innings. Hooper, meanwhile, continued his assault from the other end as he went on to score 134 runs and in the process took West Indies to a respectable total of 294 runs. Brian Lara was dismissed for 5 in the second innings by Imran Khan. Carl Hooper had a memorable match as he was named the player of the match for his all-round performance.
In reply, Pakistan failed to cash in as they were bundled out for 122 runs, giving WI a 177 runs lead. However West Indies were bowled out for 173 in their second innings and a target of 347 was set for Pakistan. The match ended in a draw and the series was tied at 1-1. However this was a memorable game as it marked the beginning of a legend in the form of Brian Lara.
Brian Lara went on to represent West Indies in 131 Tests scoring 11953 runs at an average of 52.9 with 34 hundreds and 48 fifties. He also holds the record of highest score by a player in the history of Test cricket with 400*. He played 299 ODI matches and amassed 10405 runs at an average of 40. More than the stats it’s the elegance and style with which he played that brought in more fans into the game. He also got the name of Prince of Trinidad.
