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When Brian Lara Became First Man On The Planet To Score 400 In Test Cricket

Aakash Saini

Brian Lara celebrating his 400* [Source: @ICC/x]Brian Lara celebrating his 400* [Source: @ICC/x]

Few batters in cricketing history have blended grace with dominance quite like Brian Charles Lara, a virtuoso whose every stroke reflected the elegance of a natural-born genius. At the peak of his form, Lara did not just accumulate runs, he orchestrated epics, and decimated even the greatest of bowling attacks regardless of the playing conditions on offer.

Statistically, he attained his magnum opus score at St John’s in Antigua in April 2004, i.e., during the twilight of his international career, when he mounted Test cricket’s first-ever quadruple century in history.

When Brian Lara Batted For Eternity, A Throwback To Historic 400

Facing England in a dead-rubber in Antigua in April 2004, a Brian Lara-led West Indies team batted first and mounted 751-5d from 202 overs. Captain Lara himself bludgeoned 400 unbeaten runs from 582 balls to tonk Test cricket’s highest individual score, and the first-ever quadruple century in the format.

In an innings laced with grace and dominance, Lara clattered 43 fours and four huge sixes and occupied nearly 13 hours at the crease after arriving at 33-1. Through the course of his knock, the legendary left-hander also soared past Matthew Hayden’s 380-run epic against Zimbabwe from a year earlier, which itself broke Lara’s previous Test record of 375 from 1994.

His monumental 400-run vigil not only rewrote the record books but also transcended statistical brilliance, elevating Lara into a stratosphere reserved for the timeless legends of the game.

Over the next couple of decades, several modern greats flirted with the milestone, with Virender Sehwag’s fearless 319, Mahela Jayawardene’s elegant 374, Michael Clarke’s stylish 329* and David Warner’s brutal 335* coming to mind, but none of them managed to breach the mythical 400-run barrier.

Despite the evolution of the game and countless opportunities on flat pitches, Brian Lara’s quadruple remains untouched, standing as a monument to individual brilliance and unmatched endurance in the longest format.