Latest news with #BrianLara
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Mark Ramprakash believes Jacob Bethell's test match career can follow Brian Lara's
Mark Ramprakash claims Jacob Bethell has a bright future for England but he will have to wait for an extended run at Test level, just like West Indian great Brian Lara. The Warwickshire all rounder missed out on selection for Friday's first Test against India at Headingley, following much speculation that Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum would find a place for him. Bethell was also left out of the recent Test win against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge due to his Indian Premier League deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Meanwhile, Ollie Pope, who had been dropped down the batting order to accommodate Bethell for three Tests in New Zealand during the winter, eased mounting speculation that he could be the man to make way by scoring 171. Also under scrutiny had been Zak Crawley. However, he ended a run of 27 Test innings and 22 months without a Test ton in posting 124 in Nottingham recently. With that pair now, seemingly, back in form Stokes has chosen not to tinker. It's a move that sits well with former England batter Ramprakash. In his latest piece for The Guardian, Ramprakash drew comparison with Bethell and one of the game's all-time greats. He wrote: 'Who knows what lies ahead for him (Bethell) but in considering his position now I think back to the visit of West Indies in 1991 when they had an emerging left-handed batter in their squad by the name of Brian Lara. 'Though people were already hugely excited by him Lara spent the entire series as 12th man before coming into the side the following year, and while the rest of Bethell's career might not live up to that of the brilliant Trinidadian, I can see its next stage following Lara's.' Bethell made three half centuries in the winter against New Zealand and averages 52 in the early throes of his Test career. His 96 in the second innings of the second Test in Wellington took him agonisingly close to what would have been a first senior century in any format. While the various England captains and selectors are very much backing him for the long term, he is likely to have to look on from the stands for much of the summer, as the Test side embarks on the first of two huge series with the first Test against India beginning in Leeds tomorrow.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
England are right to stick with a settled top six – Bethell should follow the Lara model
There always seems to be one man under pressure in England's batting lineup and consensus over the winter seemed to be that Jacob Bethell's emergence had put Ollie Pope's place at risk. Pope has clung on to his place for the start of the India series and my view is that Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum should be very careful before they mess with what is probably the most settled top six of any Test side in the world at the moment. There was speculation about both Pope and Zak Crawley before they scored centuries in last month's game against Zimbabwe, but that performance should have secured their spots for this series at least. Bethell is a huge talent and some really top cricketers have spoken very highly about his performances and potential – clearly his time will come. He was impressive in New Zealand over the winter and since then we've seen exhilarating glimpses of his ability in shorter formats. Who knows what lies ahead for him but in considering his position now I think back to the visit of West Indies in 1991 when they had an emerging left-handed batter in their squad by the name of Brian Lara. Though people were already hugely excited by him Lara spent the entire series as 12th man before coming into the side the following year, and while the rest of Bethell's career might not live up to that of the brilliant Trinidadian, I can see its next stage following Lara's. My instinct is that England are unlikely to shuffle the pack for a while. With no-one currently struggling for form there is a lot to be said for continuity – I'm sure India wouldn't mind having a bit more of it. The last time they arrived for the start of a new Test series they had Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their team, and England Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad in theirs. Four giants of the Test game, and now they have all gone. If England have already had some time to rebuild after the loss of their two great seamers, India are now going through a changing of the guard, a subplot which adds to the intrigue around what I think will be an enthralling series. India have a combination of a new Test captain in Shubman Gill and an experienced campaigner as a coach in Gautam Gambhir, who is known for being a tough, demanding, competitive guy, and very proud to represent his country. We know to an extent what to expect from England, but for all that India still have a squad packed with established names, there remains the thrill of the unknown. I was working for the BBC the last time they played a Test here, the final game of the aborted 2021 Test series which was rearranged for Edgbaston the following summer. That was a thriller: there was a point when it looked like India were in the ascendancy as they piled on the runs in the third innings but then a couple of poor shots gave England a way back in. They still had to chase 378, but Zak Crawley played one of his more mature, orthodox innings to help lay the foundations, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow both scored centuries and they ended up knocking off the runs with ease. I'm sure some members of England's current dressing room will have thought back to that game, and it might be a bit of a blueprint for the way they want to go about things. When I was working with the England side we tended to play in very traditional English conditions, fairly green surfaces with a lot of lateral movement, swing and nip off the seam, and we relied on Anderson and Broad to make the most of it. That made us a real handful at home, and forced overseas teams to adjust their methods. Under McCullum and Stokes we have seen flat, dry wickets where the batters can really look to dominate, and England then rely on Stokes's ingenuity in the field to conjure up 20 wickets and win the game. That 2022 match showed that England can beat a top-class India side on a flat, dry pitch. The current forecast suggests the series will start in hot conditions, which will test England's bowlers. Brydon Carse has a chance to lead the attack in the first game while Josh Tongue keeps his place, both having impressed in their brief time in an England shirt. They are tall players with good pace and a challenging angle: their release point is slightly past the perpendicular, which is not something either would have been coached to do but which does make it more awkward for a batter to line up. Add to them a fully-fit Stokes contributing in short bursts and the known quality of Chris Woakes and England's seam offering looks well rounded. They have clearly had the Ashes on their minds for a while, and though this series is big enough to push those thoughts away for a few weeks it is perfect preparation for the intensity they will have to bring in the winter. I will be intrigued to see if by then Bethell has got another chance to prove he is more than an apprentice.
India.com
5 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
Meet cricketer who partied all night, smashed double century in morning, holds a record that's impossible to break, his name is...
Sometimes we get to see such feats in world cricket that the world is surprised to see. Something similar was done by former West Indies legend Brian Lara. Lara has been the best batsman of his time. Lara also holds the world record of scoring 400 runs in Tests. Even though Lara is considered an all-time great, but in his early days, this Caribbean batsman was known for partying. Once Lara partied all night and then the next day when he came out to bat, this batsman surprised the world by scoring a double century. This incident happened in the year 1998-99, in the Kingston Test match against Australia, Lara scored 213 runs while batting during the first innings of West Indies. This innings of his is counted among the memorable innings, but before playing this innings, Lara partied all night till 4 am. But even after this, when he came to bat, the bowlers failed to get him out. Actually, before this test match, West Indies had to face a bad defeat in the first test. Captain Lara was criticized a lot. Many cricket legends considered Lara a failed captain. Even Michael Holding criticized him by calling him a spoiled child. There was pressure on Lara. He was being criticized from all sides. Now the time had come for the second test match. The captain should have been in the team bus first. His teammates were waiting in the team bus but Lara did not reach on time. Then the team bus left him and left for the stadium, but luckily Lara reached the stadium at the last moment due to warm up. People talked a lot about this. His companions even said about this incident that, "He was partying in Kingston night club 'The Asylum' till 4 in the morning." At the toss in the second Test, Lara told Steve Waugh, "This could be the last time I do this.. After this the Test match begins. After restricting Australia to 256 runs in the first innings on the first day, the West Indies team was all out for 37 runs for 4 wickets. Lara was not out on 7 runs. Brian Lara has crossed the 1000-run mark in Test cricket five times in a calendar year, highlighting his dominance and consistency in the format. Under pressure, the Australian team collapsed for 177 runs in the second innings. Then West Indies scored three runs in their second innings and won the match by 10 wickets, Mike Coward wrote in his Wisden report, "Lara charmed the people of a bankrupt nation, revived his career as a rare talent batsman and rekindled cricket throughout the Caribbean... It was one of the great Test innings by universal consent." After this, Lara never looked back.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs Eng: Shubman Gill showcases unique sticker on MRF bat ahead of first Test as India captain
, India's new Test captain, has sparked discussion among cricket fans after the appearance of "Prince" alongside "MRF Genius" on his bat sticker, a departure from previous cricket legends who carried the MRF brand without personal monikers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The revelation came after released photos of Gill and the Indian team in their new kits ahead of India's upcoming tour of England, scheduled from June to August 2025, which marks the beginning of his captaincy tenure. MRF has a long-standing tradition of partnering with cricket's elite batters, including , Brian Lara, AB de Villiers, and , who all carried the "Genius" sticker on their bats. The company's selection of Gill to continue this legacy was considered a significant moment in cricket history. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "With legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Brian Lara having graced the iconic MRF bat, Shubman Gill now carries forward this tradition, inspiring the next generation of cricketers," MRF stated during their collaboration announcement before the Champions Trophy semi-final. 'Nitish Kumar is a guy who can bowl that magic ball': India bowling coach Morne Morkel In his inaugural address as captain, Gill outlined his vision for the team's preparation and approach. "Let us make each and every net session meaningful and let us prepare like that and let us put ourselves under a little bit of pressure when we are going out there. It is not about going out there and surviving. Let us try to find out our game, how we are going to play when we are put under pressure, whether it be bowlers or batsmen. And let is make the practise match and each and every net very meaningful and let us play every ball with purpose," he stated. Quiz: The appointment of Gill as Test captain and his association with MRF represents a new era in Indian cricket. His elevation to this role comes at a time when he has shown impressive performance in ODI cricket, though he is still establishing himself at the Test level. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The series will provide Gill with his first major challenge as Test captain, leading India in one of cricket's most challenging overseas conditions. The matches will be distributed across England's premier cricket grounds, offering varied playing conditions and challenges for the new captain and his team.
News18
06-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
On This Day In 1994: Brian Lara's 501 Not Out In First-Class Cricket
On This Day In1994: Brian Lara scored an unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire against Durham, setting the highest first-class cricket score, surpassing Hanif Mohammad's 499. On This Day In 1994: June 6, 1994, marks a special occasion in Brian Lara's illustrious career as the legendary West Indies left-hander recorded the highest score ever made in first-class cricket. The Prince of Trinidad achieved the unthinkable, amassing an unbeaten 501 during a County Championship match for Warwickshire against Durham in Edgbaston. On this day, Lara surpassed Pakistan's Hanif Mohammad in the list, overhauling the Pakistan giant's 499 made in Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1959. The backstory to Lara's incredible feat makes for an interesting read as it was a matter of fate that the West Indies great happened to play for Warwickshire that summer in England. If not for Indian seamer Manoj Prabhakar's injury, the flamboyant batter wouldn't have been able to fill the vacant overseas slot in the Warwickshire squad. Notably, Prabhakar was himself a replacement for the club's marquee South African recruit Allan Donald, who was on international duty. Luckily, Warwickshire chairman MJK Smith was in the Caribbean for England's 1994 tour to the West Indies and he offered Lara a £40,000 deal for the coming season after watching him amass a world record 375 runs in a Test innings in Antigua, going past Sir Garry Sobers's 365 not out. Lara backed the club's faith wonderfully, scoring six hundreds in seven County Championship games before producing his eight-hour marathon innings of 501* off 427 deliveries, including 62 fours and 10 maximums. The then 25-year-old plundered 2066 runs at an extraordinary average of 89.82 that season for Warwickshire. Lara recorded the 500 milestone in the dying moments of the rain-marred first-class match in Edgbaston after being reminded by wicketkeeper-batter Keith Piper that the play could be called off soon on Day 4. Alerted by his partner, Lara reversed a trend of dot balls against part-timer John Morris with a drive for four that took him past the colossal 500 mark. 'I didn't realise we were in the last over until four balls had been bowled. Keith Piper came up (batting partner) to me and said there were only two deliveries left. Records are there to be broken, and I'm happy to be the one doing it. If the records I have set are broken, I hope I am the one doing it. It's hard to compare my Test 375 with 501 here. You just have to cherish both of them," Lara said after the game. About the Author First Published: June 06, 2025, 07:10 IST
