Sunday, 22nd April 2007 at 2:11 pm

Brian Charles Lara calls it a day

Trust Kevin Pietersen to be the one to spoil Brian Lara’s farewell appearance, running the West Indian skipper out, before making a match-winning hundred (at least Duncan Fletcher got a victory in his last match). But while a flamboyant Lara hundred would have been the fairytale finish - and a last look at one of the most breathtaking cricketers the game has been graced with - but while the losing note reflected West Indies cricket as it is now, Lara still leaves us with some unforgettable cricket memories.

Everyone has their own favourite Lara performance. The 277 in Sydney that signalled the arrival of a rather special cricketer. The pull to the boundary off Chris Lewis to break Sir Garfield Sobers’ Test record of 365. The 400 that subsequently overhauled Matthew Hayden’s 380. The brutal dismantling of Robin Peterson on the West Indies’ last South African tour. Or any of thousands of moments where a lightness of touch, a majesty of shot and a flashing blade reduced the world’s best bowlers to the ordinary, the dull, the simply helpless.

Lara’s captaincy has been much-criticised of late, and while he hasn’t had the greatest of teams to work with, he won’t be remembered as one the great cricket captains. But the Prince of Trinidad was nothing short of sublime when in full flight, and watching him bat was one of sport’s purer delights. He might not have had the farewell he deserved, but the legacy he leaves behind won’t be matched for a long time. West Indies cricket won’t be the same without Brian Charles Lara.