Lara 11 short of Border record

Adelaide, November 25:

Brian Lara produced the big innings Australia feared as he singlehandedly carried the West Indies with a majestic unbeaten double-century on the opening day of the final Test at Adelaide Oval on Friday. The Trinidad left-hander became only the second player to pass 11,000 Test runs as he claimed his 31st Test century and ninth against Australia to finally unleash the batting artistry that has made him one of the all-time greats.

Lara, 36, given a standing ovation to the wicket and at day’s end in probably his last Test in Australia, was closing in on Australian Allan Border’s world record tally. Lara was on 11,163 runs, just 11 runs behind Border’s aggregate (11,174) at stumps and looks set to break the mark on Saturday.

His unbeaten 202 dwarfed the combined efforts of his teammates’ 140 runs as West Indies reached the close at 352 for seven, with Daren Powell not out seven.

Lara raised his double hundred — his eighth in Tests — two overs before stumps with a pulled boundary off paceman Brett Lee (3-96) to continue his love affair with the Adelaide Oval where he averaged 61 runs per innings before the Test.