Brian Lara

Legendary Trinidadian cricketer and Honorary Graduate of the University of Sheffield.

A photo of Brian Lara at their graduation ceremony - image
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Former Trinidadian cricketer Brian Lara is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Through his 16 year career, he built a reputation for exceptional skill with the bat, achieving the highest individual score in first-class cricket, scoring 501 for Warwickshire in the only quintuple hundred in first-class cricket history.

In 2007, Brian Lara received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield at a degree ceremony in Trinidad.

Brian Lara was educated at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School and subsequently at Fatima College.

In 1990, he made his Test debut for the West Indies against Pakistan and in 1994 he demolished the English bowling attack at Antigua, making 375 and so breaking Sir Gary Sobers' Test record score of 365, which had stood since 1958.

Forty-nine days later, he rewrote the record books again by hitting 501-not-out for Warwickshire against Durham in the English County Championship, to achieve the highest score in first-class cricket, beating Hanif Mohammad's 499 made in 1959.

On 12 April 2004, Brian took his score to 400 to reclaim the world Test batting record – a feat that places him alongside Shane Warne as the most gifted cricketer of this or any other era.

Off the cricket ground, he also established a charitable foundation to address health and social issues in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as acting as a sporting ambassador around the world.

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