January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Logie: Lara ‘head and shoulders’ above the rest
Logie, who was Lara's coach when the Windies visited Bermuda last summer, said he was a 'genius' whose achievements were unparalleled in the history of Caribbean cricket.
He said the likes of Viv Richards and Sir Garfield Sobers may have played better or more brutal innings than Lara, at times.
But the record books would show that Lara was 'head and shoulders' above the rest.
Logie said he did not even want to contemplate the future of West Indies cricket without the 35-year-old Trinidadian genius in the team.
And he said he hoped passing Allan Border's record of 11,187 with his knock of 226 on Saturday would not stop Lara from playing on for a few more years yet.
One incentive could be to stave off the challenge that will inevitably come from the other genius of the modern game, Sachin Tendulkar, who is three years his junior and just 1,070 runs behind.
Logie said: “Records are there to be broken and Lara will know that Tendulkar is not far behind.
“…It's no secret that he keeps a keen eye on the stats.”
Logie said Lara's talent had been obvious from day one.
But he admitted that no-one could have predicted that the baby faced batsman would go on to break every record in the book.
Lara's determination to hang on to his place in the record books was never better seen than when he recaptured his world record for the highest score ever.
He had held the record for a decade when Aussie opener Matthew Hayden wrestled it from him, by bludgeoning 380 against world cricket whipping boys Zimbabwe in 2004.
Six months later it was Lara's again after he responded by rattling up 400 not out against England.
That score, in a series his side lost 3-0, showed another of Lara's unique qualities.
The ability to hit big runs despite the lack of support from his often woeful team-mates.
“He is an example for others to follow and a great servant to West Indies cricket as a batsman par excellence,” added Logie.
“He's always been under pressure as a batsman. His is the wicket that everyone wants to get.”
Bermuda all-rounder Lionel Cann added that Lara was 'unbelievable' and would be remembered as one of the greatest players of his generation.
But Cann, who is a fanatic India supporter is convinced that Lara's record will be broken.
“It's the greatest achievment in cricket and he has done it in a not-so-good team.
“If you look at Tendulkar he is playing in a much more complete team so it is a different situation.
“Tendulkar has got more years of cricket left than Lara and I'm sure he is going to end up breaking it.
Cann added that: “After that I don't think you’ll see anybody catching those two for half a century.”[[In-content Ad]]
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