Lara

I watched the first match of the world cup and loved it.I should have been there in person watching it.

... i am writing this sitting at a desk and wondering how it didn't happen.

If anybody wants to write a great film script then allow Brian Lara to play the final and hit the winning runs. He has been, apart from Shane Warne, and Shoaib Akthar (when he is not taking drugs, getting injured, or getting dropped due to verbal diarrhea ), the most exciting player to watch over the last ten years.

Whatever he does seems to be part of a grand scheme to hypnotize you. Leaving the reality of the daily struggle behind and enter the world of sublime touch and timing. The dance, one of the few who still dance, and not walk down the wicket, hitting spinners to all parts , the bat coming down in a beautiful arc, even in defense it all looks so magnificent.

Then there is the control, not just of his batting, but of the entire game, he seems to orchestrate everything around him, even the bowlers and the fields seems to do as told, 'now pitch the ball up'...yes sir... 'now bowl short outside off'...yes sir.

I am a big fan of the exaggerated movement that preceded the bat meeting the ball. The stance still, then bat starts to go up and up and further up, and seemed to pull the body, and the legs, with a hop, and take him right across the stumps.
This has, as he has gotten older and a 'filled out', reduced greatly. I think it has lowered the chances of him getting out in the first ten-fifteen minutes of a innings. All part of the refinement process.

Lara is just getting better with time, every now and then the 'experts' used to comment about how 'Lara is at his peek...he should really cash in... after a while he will slow down'. After a point i think it got embarrassing that they had to keep repeating this after every series.

Lara just gets better with time, thats just it, it's time everybody just got on with there life's and stop wasting time on when he should retire. I personally hope he continues to play test cricket well into his forties.

Somewhere in the mid 1990's, on one of those typically hot afternoons, my cricket buddies and i were waiting for a friend to arrive with new cricket balls and as is quite common we got into a discussion on one of the favorite topics of cricket fans. The topic of who is the best batsman in the world. I was of the opinion that it was Sachin Tendulkar. My friend and tormentor on the cricket field, was adamant it was Brian Lara. I argued that we had not seen the best of Mr Tendulkar and that Mr Lara was probably past his best and that his 375 was "it". Every time i have the privilege of watching the man bat i remember that argument.

Oh yes... the first match of the world cup was great. I hope it just gets better from here.