Sport

Waugh: Lara one of the greatest

file - Brian Lara

adelaide,australia, cmc:

FORMER AUSTRALIAN TEST captain Steve Waugh has described world batting double-record holder Brian Lara as one of the greatest players he has ever played against.

Waugh said there were only two players who possessed the ability to make a mockery of the field settings he had put in place for them, and noted that Lara was one of these players. "There were occasions when I knew he was baiting both the fielders and bowlers into making a field change by consistently playing a certain shot," Waugh wrote in Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"As soon as the fieldsman was moved to stem the run flow, he would counter it immediately and utilise the new vacant space he'd created even if it meant playing a high-risk shot."

He added: "Ego, to most batsmen, is their greatest danger because they let it take control of the reins and guide their actions which invariably lead to their demise."

Unstoppable

"With Lara, he had the sublime skills to back up his at times outrageous confidence, and when the mood took him, he was as close to unstoppable as a batsman could ever be

"Technically, he has the capacity to play every stroke in the text book plus a few extras, and when he's attuned to the task at hand, his defensive proficiency is watertight." Waugh scored 10,927 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 51.06 and also managed 7,569 runs in 325 One Day Internationals.

The 39-year old is one of Australia's most celebrated players and has endured many memorable duels against the West Indies andwith the explosive Lara in particular. "Lara's greatest attributes to me are his precise placement and his courage to take on an attack and control the tempo of the game," Waugh wrote.

"His presence at the crease immediately puts opposing teams on edge and for many, his aura has already won him the battle."
He added: "Sachin (Tendulkar) had a consistency about his destructive way of pulverising an attack while Lara struck like a cornered pit viper, depending on his mood of the day, which could be motivated by various forces including anger, revenge, expectation, confrontation or just plain making the most of his natural gifts."

Waugh said however that despite Lara's genius, he still carried the incredible pressures of leading a team that was a combination of separate islands.

"He has the ability to adapt to the needs of his team and the game situation and has scored runs against all attacks on varying pitches, but still can't shake the incredible pressures that come with leading a conglomeration of countries that go to the Olympics and most other sporting events as separate countries," Waugh said.