The 400 at St John’s may have taken many by surprise but Brian Lara had hinted to this writer, as far back as January, that he had it mind to regain the record. After losing the Test series 3-0 to South Africa, Lara, when asked in Centurion after the fourth Test if he planned to stay on as captain, offered that enigmatic smile. He pondered for a few seconds and nodded.‘‘I still have a few things I want to do; a few goals to achieve — both personal and for the West Indies’’, he confided. ‘‘Life is about goals, isn’t it, and that also goes for the world of Brian Charles Lara and for the image of the game in the Caribbean.’’Did he have any thoughts about reclaiming the Test record? There was a shake of the head. ‘‘You might think about; even wish it would happen. But to do it needs a lot of luck and the right conditions and in the Caribbean that is not easy these days. Pitches have changed a lot and our success rate is slipping. It is all about confidence and partnerships and putting a big total together. If it happens, I’ll be happy to reclaim the record for the West Indies’’, he admitted.Yet to surmount such lofty pinnacles of achievement twice in a decade calls for special dedication and partnerships to set the stage. It also calls for flair and the type of batting skills which so few batsmen have in the world today. India have Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. In the West Indies there is only Lara and a self-belief that he could put another monumental effort together. A lofted drive for six and a sweep for four off Gareth Batty took him past Matthew Hayden’s 380 scored against Zimbabwe in Perth last November. Only Sir Donald Bradman had previously managed to score two Test triple centuries: both against England, both at Headingley in Leeds and four years apart — 1930 and 1934. In between he was left stranded on 299 not out when his partner Pud Thurlow was run out at Adelaide against South Africa in 1931
