Daraine Luton, Staff Reporter
West Indies skipper, Brian Lara, hoists the Digicel ODI series trophy after the team's 19-run victory over India in the fifth and final match at Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago,earlier this year. The Windies won the five-match series 4-1. - Dellmar
BRIAN LARA may be the holder of several world records but with his career starved of victories, the batting maestro has said he would trade his records to be a part of a winning team.
Lara, who is on holiday in Australia, told the Australian press that he would give up all his records to be a part of the victorious West Indies teams of the '70s and '80s, or even Ricky Ponting's current Australian side.
In a revealing interview with Australia's Sunday Mail, Lara said records may be good but it is the results that count.
"To be honest, I would give up any runs, any record just to be a part of the current Australian cricket team or the West Indies team of the 1970s and 1980s," he said.
"It would be great to turn up for a Test where the percentage of you winning is far greater than anything else."
Lara has tasted victory in only 32 of the 131 Test matches in which he has played. Thirty-six of those matches were drawn, while 63 were lost.
One victory against australia
His career, which began in 1990 against Pakistan, spans some 39 series, but only on 13 occasions has Lara seen the West Indies emerge winners. They have lost 60 and drawn six. He has won only once against Australia in eight series and twice against England in six tries.
Lara is not afraid to admit he is envious of Australia's all-conquering brilliance and its frequent victories.
While Ponting has won 76 of 108 Tests, and 30 of 39 series, Lara has captained the Windies to only 10 wins in 47 Tests.
"Unfortunately, my career has been through the declining years of West Indies cricket and at times it's given me great sadness. There is a sense of unfulfillment.
"It's been a great honour to achieve individual things for West Indies but at the end of the day it's all about how the team does and that concerns me more. It's tremendous what this Australian team has done," Lara said.
Meanwhile, Lara said he will not be following in the footsteps of the two Australian greats - Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath - in announcing his retirement from Test cricket any time soon.
He has, however, reiterated that his career in the shorter version of the game is fast nearing its end.
In Test cricket Lara has amassed a record 11,953 runs at the magnificent average of 52.88.
"I cut back on one-day cricket a couple of months ago because Test cricket is what I really love," Lara said.
"Test cricket is the true test of your ability and that's the one game I'd love to play a bit longer."
On the question of quitting one-day cricket, the left-handed batting genius said: "It is looking that way. Since taking over the captaincy again, it has had an effect on me mentally and physically. A one-dayer is now as tough as playing two or three days of a Test match.
"I'm not sure how much one-day cricket I'll be playing after the World Cup. Hopefully we can win it and that would be a great way to go out.
"I don't know if I'll get to 40 but I want to play as long as I can. I still have the competitive spirit. My enthusiasm is still there. I know I still have some Tests ahead of me, and hopefully some more big innings."
Despite his advancing years, the debonair left-hander has lost little of his class. He plundered 448 runs against Pakistan and hit two tons, 122 and 216, to finish the three-Test series with an average of 89.60.
Despite the fact that he is closer to the end of his career than the start, Lara said he "... wants to see West Indies turn that corner and I want to be instrumental in doing it. I don't have the luxury of a Shane Warne to help us to be on top of the world.
"But I'd love to be able to sit back in an armchair watching a West Indian team that is as great as this Australian team."
Lara's records and achievements
Lara has a top score of 400 not out, which is the highest individual Test score.
He has recorded the highest individual score in a Test match as a captain (400 n.o.).
His 375 in 1993 was, for 10 years, the highest individual Test score.
He has the highest individual score in first-class cricket (501 not out) for English county side Warwickshire, in a match against Glamorgan.
Only the legendary Don Bradman (Australia), with 12 centuries, has scored more double centuries than Lara (nine centuries).
Lara has scored the most runs in Test cricket 11,953 at an average of 52.88 from 131 matches.
Lara is even with Don Bradman for the most triple hundreds in Tests - two (375, 400 n.o.).
He has scored the second-highest number of Test centuries ever. India's Sachin Tendulkar leads with 35, while Lara is equal with another Indian batting great - Sunil Gavaskar (34).
The West Indian scored the most runs in an over in a Test match - 28.
