Star bat Lara proves he's still a prince

Brian Lara has immediately begun answering some of the questions increasingly placed against his name prior to the current tour of Sri Lanka. He himself seemed unsure as to whether his dodgy right hamstring muscle was ready to take it on.

Others, influentially placed, openly wondered whether he still had the motivation necessary to score consistently at the highest level.

Sir Everton Weekes, who did so with such effect he averaged 58.5 during his glittering career, worried that he was past his best.

Bob Simpson, the former Australian captain, predictably stirred up a hornet's nest with an opinion that he didn't merit the classification of great.

Lara has responded to each in word and deed and yesterday was elevated three places on the PriceWaterhouseCooper monthly Test ratings from No. 6 to No. 3, only behind the prolific, but underrated Zimbabwean left-hander Andy Flower and the Indian star Sachin Tendulkar.

His comments even before the series started here have proved prophetic.

On the hamstring that has bothered him, on and off, since June 2000 on the tour of England: I feel very good. My injury's still there, unfortunately, but it's an injury I can play with.

I'm able to go down the wicket and use my feet and that's important. It's improving a bit.

On whether he still has the motivation: I'm always hungry (for runs). It may not look so to other people but I always want to score runs. Hopefully, this series is going to be something special for me.

On whether he's past his best: I'd love to average above 50 in Test cricket instead of lingering on 47. Hopefully I can get it back up there and put it back up there to the top and be up there among the big guys in world cricket.

As with every one who ever played the game, greatness can only be properly judged when Lara eventually takes his leave to enjoy his retirement in his mansion on the hill at Lady Chancellor Drive overlooking Port-of-Spain.

It is yet too little, too soon even to assess whether this is, indeed, the second coming in the life of Brian but the evidence of the two Tests here is encouraging.

His hamstring has given him no more problems that the occasional pain-killer can't take care of. He has spent an accumulated 13-and-a-half hours accumulating 337 runs in his four innings, and has fought some of the most difficult and enthralling battles of his life in the middle against Muttiah Muralitharan, a unique and remarkable off-spin bowler.

He has been noticeably relaxed and communicative off the field, committed and focused at practice and in the middle. Captain Carl Hooper has passed through similar times of self-doubt himself before entering the present, second phase of his career. He is well placed to read the signs.

There's been a lot of talk about Brian being past his best but he's shown people he's still one of the best players in the world and this is a big plus for the West Indies, he said. He's worked hard, he's been dedicated and he's had the results on this tour.

Hooper also dismissed the view that Lara is a negative influence in the team.

Instead, he said, he had always been helpful and supportive of younger players and West Indies cricket in general. We can all look at Brian and take a leaf out of his book, he said.