Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Road to the cricket World Cup 2019. Lara's theme halts South African juggernaut. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s book ‘The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011’

South v West Indies (Quarter-final)
National Stadium, Karachi  •  11 March 1996



Brian Lara did not always relish the slow wickets of the sub-continent. With a penchant for playing even spinners on the rise, he was rarely happy with the ball not coming on to the bat. And here was a pitch which offered turn and also bounce. The opponents, South Africa, were in prime form, having won ten consecutive matches, including five in a row in the round-robin stage of the present competition. But when Lara was in good nick, little else mattered.

He came in at 42 for one off just six overs, and took charge rightaway. Using his wrists in inimitable fashion, Lara cut and flicked the pacemen. When the spinners came on he used his feet, and also employed the sweep to good effect. He raced to his fifty off just 45 deliveries, and then clouted Pat Symcox for 22 runs in an over, including five boundaries, four of them off successive balls. These were glimpses of the Lara of 1994, who broke the records for the highest individual scores in Tests as well as first-class cricket. Since then his career was chequered for a few years until he shifted into overdrive. On this day he was at his effervescent best.

The South Africans are usually an efficient, professional side. But they found themselves helpless when faced with the awesome talent of Lara in such brilliant touch. The seam of Shaun Pollock, Craig Matthews, Brian McMillan and Hansie Cronje came to him as easy as the contrasting spin of Pat Symcox and Paul Adams. In this mood no bowler troubled him as he toyed with all that was hurled at him, in his cavalier style. Being slight of build, not for him were shots of power. Rarely did he loft the ball. He wielded his bat with the deftness of touch of a born artist. Some of the strokes were patently his own - playing late, waiting for the ball to do what it had to off the pitch, and then guiding it with extremely skillful wrists. Unlike Mohammad Azharuddin, who used his wrists to flick the ball towards the on-side, Lara's wristwork enabled him to place the ball with a lightness of touch on the off-side as well. Hardly ever did you hear the thump of the ball against Lara's bat. He seemed to merely caress it most of the time.

In the company of Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Lara added 138 runs for the second wicket in just under 25 overs. By then the West Indies had reached 180 in 30.5 overs, and poised for a total of 300. Lara cruised on, reaching his first World Cup century off 83 deliveries in his 13th match, having hit five half-centuries earlier. This was the second-quickest in the event, taking one ball more than Clive Lloyd's hundred in the 1975 final. Lara proceeded to notch up 111 runs off just 94 balls with 16 hits to the fence. With this he lifted his average in the premier event to over 50. After his departure the West Indies innings lost momentum somewhat, but Lara had already ensured that his side's total would be enough to get them into the semi-finals. "The difference was Lara", rued Cronje.

Not for nothing was Lara considered a temperamental genius. When in form there was no sight quite like him in international cricket. It is also a fact that in the four years prior to this tournament - and after - the West Indies relied almost exclusively on Lara, Richie Richardson and Chanderpaul to get the runs. And so was it in their last three matches, in which they performed so well, in the 1996 tournament. Perhaps Lara felt uninspired in a lacklustre team. Whatever it was, innings like the one at Karachi were few and often far between during that phase from this immensely gifted player.

West Indies  264 for eight wickets (50 overs)
South Africa  245 all out (49.3 overs)

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

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Indra Vikram Singh’s books are available at attractive prices on Amazon:

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3








Crowning Glory
Published by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-6-7








Don’s Century
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-5-0








A Maharaja’s Turf
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-3-6







Indra Vikram Singh’s forthcoming books:

Indian Spring, on India’s triumph in the cricket World Cup 2011

Wonder Down Under, special souvenir on the cricket World Cup 2015

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