West Indies' Brian Lara is one of the greatest batsmen the world has seen. In fact, many great bowlers of contemporary cricket rate Lara as a better all-round batsman against pace and spin than Sachin Tendulkar.
While the debate of who was the better batsman will never end, Lara made it clear on April 12, 2004 that no one can bat ‘big’ like him.
England had already won the four-match Test series in the Caribbean 3-0 with their newly formed pace attack of Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard decimating the hosts.
The first three Tests were played on fast and green surfaces, which played right in to the hands of the Englishmen.
For the fourth Test in St John’s, Antigua, the West Indies laid out a batting beauty. The side batting first was going to be at a huge advantage and it was the hosts who made the right call to bat first.
What followed was more than two days of an effortless and unrelenting batting master class by Lara as he tormented the same English bowlers who were almost unplayable in three previous Tests.
Ramnaresh Sarwan scored 90 while wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs hit an unbeaten 107. But both those knocks did not even register on the radar; it was all about the Lara show as the left-hander became the first batsman in history to score 400 in a Test innings.
In the process, he reclaimed the record of the highest individual Test score; his effort of 375 – set against the Englishmen in 1994 – had been usurped by Australia’s Matthew Hayden who had made 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
His marathon innings helped West Indies pile on a gargantuan 751-5 declared. The Windies probably batted a bit too long – into the third day – as England managed to hold out for a draw despite being bowled out for 285 in the first innings and being asked to follow on.
The Windies ended up losing the series 3-0. But at least Lara got to claim a record that will probably never be attempted again.
However, not everyone was impressed with the effort. Late commentator Tony Greig said the innings did not help the West Indies' cause at all.
"I'm certainly not raving about the innings," Greig was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "I have to praise it for the sheer fact that he stayed in for so long but it wasn't an innings that you could be in awe of.
"It was clear he had the record in mind and was just going to keep on grinding it out until he got there. As far as I'm concerned that is not a good way to play the game, especially when you're the captain."
After the match, Lara himself admitted the pain of the series defeat overshadowed his personal achievement.
"I am very happy, but at the end of the day my spirit is still dampened by the series result," he said.
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
