Criticisms of Lara's pending return not merited

Brian Lara makes his exit during 2007 CWC

Brian Lara’s decision to play in next April’s Indian Premier League (IPL) after four years away from competitive cricket has been criticised by two former West Indies players according to the Gleaner newspaper. Jeffery Dujon and Curtly Ambrose are concerned that the reputation of a man who dominated his opponents at the height of his career will be reduced to nothing if he participates in this newest and shortest version of the game.

Dujon has said: “If you finish at the top, there's only one way you can go after that if you come back...” 
while Ambrose advises Lara to “stay out”, suggesting that it would be hard to reproduce the standards he once achieved.

I can almost forgive these guys for implying that Lara’s reputation as one of the greatest batsmen, certainly in the modern era and possibly of all times, is so slight that it would be ripped to shreds if he fails in one season of the IPL. This is the man who overhauled Gary Sober’s 36 year Test batting record of 365 runs,by scoring 375, lost it, only to reclaim it with a mammoth 400 not out. And all in a 10 year span. This is the man who still holds the record for the most runs (501 not out) in an innings in First Class cricket. With nearly 12,000 runs and an average of almost 53 in 131 Tests, Lara is in an elite bracket of the game’s best. Surely these statistics will not evaporate come this time next year.

I can further forgive these stalwarts of West Indies cricket for missing the point that Lara’s so-called comeback cannot be described as a comeback in the strictest sense of the word on at least two points. First, the IPL is not the highest form of the game. It is essentially club cricket with cash to spare. It may attract the world’s best players, giving it international exposure and making it highly competitive, but it is significantly shorter – three hours each match, unlike the five-day Test match. Secondly, and this is laughable, he will not have the expectations of the entire Caribbean like an albatross around his neck. If, anything he will be in a more professional and efficient environment than he has been used to, which should help his performance.

The truth is Lara is less concerned about his reputation than these two. At age 40, he knows more than anyone else that his career is not suddenly about to take off. He would be aware of exactly how he wants to contribute. He has indicated that he wants to participate in a holistic way, much in the same way that his contemporaries – Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya etc. – have done.

Normally, comments from past players who have had outstanding careers anchored in years of experience are treated like the Holy Grail. However, I would quickly discard these two as wayward. Of course, 40 is not the new 20, but not every bloke with a bat is Brian Lara. For his fans, Lara’s departure from the game was somewhat premature. I certainly cannot wait to see his bat coming down like King Arthur’s Excalibur once again.