Lara can taste Border's Test run record
The brilliant Brian Lara is set to topple Allan Border's Test run-scoring record following a marvellous unbeaten 202 in his likely final Test appearance on Australian soil.
The left-handed batting magician returned to his breathtaking best at the Adelaide Oval, launching a solo mission to send the West Indies to 7-352 at stumps on day one with tailender Daren Powell (7no) also unbeaten.
The 36-year-old's six-hour knock moves him to 11,163 Test runs, just needing a dozen more to pass Border's tally of 11,174.
Lara brought up his double hundred by powerfully pulling speedster Brett Lee to the square leg boundary just before the close of play with the crowd delighting in his 266-ball innings.
The fleet-footed Trinidadian is the most attractive batsman in the world in full flight and if this is his final fling in Australia then he has left on the highest note.
The mercurial one has revelled in taunting the Australian bowlers in the past and was beaming after the day's play.
"It is a great feeling to finally be getting runs in Australia, I read an article that I have never come to these shores and left without a hundred, so I had a lot of confidence in batting in this particular match," he said.
"I was quite happy to end the day with not just a hundred but a double hundred."
Australia had only seen glimpses of Lara's brilliance in his previous four knocks this series but he hasn't been aided by bad umpiring decisions as he failed to reach 50 before the match.
That had followed his run outs playing for the World XI but Lara felt he had the full support of the crowd for one last big innings in Australia.
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