Former Trinidadian cricketer Brian Lara is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Through his 16 year career, he built a reputation for exceptional skill with the bat, achieving the highest individual score in first-class cricket, scoring 501 for Warwickshire in the only quintuple hundred in first-class cricket history.
In 2007, Brian Lara received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield at a degree ceremony in Trinidad.
Brian Lara was educated at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School and subsequently at Fatima College.
In 1990, he made his Test debut for the West Indies against Pakistan and in 1994 he demolished the English bowling attack at Antigua, making 375 and so breaking Sir Gary Sobers' Test record score of 365, which had stood since 1958.
Forty-nine days later, he rewrote the record books again by hitting 501-not-out for Warwickshire against Durham in the English County Championship, to achieve the highest score in first-class cricket, beating Hanif Mohammad's 499 made in 1959.
On 12 April 2004, Brian took h
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CITATION FOR THE ORDER OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (OCC) 2008
English speaking Caribbean communities have made their greatest single cultural investment in the cricket enterprise. Citizens have come to measure the extent of community detachment from the oppressive grip of the colonial scaffold in terms of the competitive excellence of the region’s international team. Since 1886, when the first generation of cricketers were assembled and sent overseas as the Region’s team, this investment has yielded good results and players have brought to the Caribbean considerable honor, dignity and respect.
When the 21st century opened its door, Brian Charles Lara entered as the universally recognized genius performer of Caribbean and world cricket. His display of brilliance signaled the determination of Caribbean people to approach the new time with confidence, poise and cultural assertiveness. CLR James, the late Caribbean doyen of world cricket writers, offered us a way of viewing the young man’s achievements and legacy when he stated in reference to the grand old man o