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ST GEORGE'S, Grenada - Australia and New Zealand couldn't agree on the importance of today's World Cup thrashing, but they were very much on the same page in paying tribute to West Indies maestro Brian Lara.
The Test world record-holder announced on Thursday that Saturday's Super Eights game against England in Barbados would be his international farewell.
Australia's former Test world record-holder Matthew Hayden, Australian captain Ricky Ponting and Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming all described Lara as a batting genius.
"Brian has an unusual kind of technique which makes the bowlers look embarrassed at times," Hayden said after blasting 103 in Australia's 215-run win over New Zealand in their Super Eights clash in Grenada.
"He is a tremendous ambassador for the game.
"No one has really achieved probably as much as what Brian has either. It's a sad day."
Hayden's 380 in October 2003 against Zimbabwe in Perth beat Lara's 375 in Antigua against England in 1994.
Lara, Test cricket's all-time leading runscorer with 11,953 runs, reclaimed the highest-score record with his extraordinary 400 not out against England back at Antigua in 2004.
"I've always thought of him and Sachin (Tendulkar) as being the two greatest batsmen I've ever played against and for different reasons," said Ponting, himself one of the greats of the past two decades.
"Brian has got the ability to just turn it on when he wants and take an attack apart.
"The thing that probably a lot of people don't think much about with Brian Lara is that he basically had the weight of that whole team on his shoulders for the best part of 10 years now.
"He has had to carry the side almost by himself."
Fleming said Lara was an inspiration to left-handers everywhere.
"He has been a wonderful player and he has been a wonderful ambassador to the game as well. He has played the game in a very good spirit but played in an entertaining way," the New Zealand opener said.
"I heard him give a quote saying that he wanted to be an entertainer and he was everything and more in that sense.
"He was a player who created interest in New Zealand and around the world so he brought players to the game.
"From a left-hander's point of view he was inspirational. He was a wonderful player to watch and to play against. It's sad to see him go."
- AAP
