Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sports

FOR MANY, many moons, Ian Chappell was my favourite batsman of all time.

Being a South Australian, there was more than a little bias towards the Croweater captain, but I also just loved the way he batted and played the game.

With Chappelli it was always either me or you; near mortal combat at the crease.

He came in at number 3 and hooked and pulled the fastest of them from the get-go. John Snow, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson (in state games), he didn't back down, he didn't flinch and that's the way he captained too.

Brother Greg was a far better batsman stylistically and statisti-cally, but give me Ian any day. Ask any of his teammates from those '70s teams whom they would want to bat for their lives and they would, to a man, say the skipper.

Chappelli's still on my "all-time" list now, but he's no longer number one, that tremendously unimportant honour has been reserved for some time now by the best batsman I have ever seen, Brian Charles Lara.

Whenever the greatest with the willow are discussed, the little Trinidadian's name must be at the forefront.

No batsman in history ever compiled so many runs so artfully. India's Sachin Ten-dulkar and Australia's Steve Waugh, who with Lara were the pre-eminent batsmen of the '90s, match or lead Lara in many statistical categories except highest Test score (400 not out) and first-class tally (501) but black-and-white figures can't capture the colour 'The Prince' brought to the game.

As great as Waugh S. and Tendulkar were in full light, they had nothing on Lara when his gander was up.

Sustained brilliance

Forget his ego and average inflated Test records of 375 and 400against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground and his brilliant break-out 277 against Australia, in Sydney. For sustained brilliance, Lara strode into the pantheon of greats during the home series against Australia in 1999.

After a thrashing from the world's best side in Trinidad, Lara was read the riot act and told his captaincy was virtually a Test-by-Test proposition.

Driven, as only true masters can be, he then unleashed three of the greatest Test innings against one of the world's best-ever sides and singlehandedly forced a 2-2 series draw.

After Trinidad, there seemed no way the West Indies could get back into the series against a rampant Australia, but Lara worked out in the Sabina Park nets as a demon and, with Jimmy Adams, featured in a match-winning partnership of 361. Lara made 213 and Jimmy 94 against Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Co.

In the third Test in Barbados, he was even more brilliant with the innings of a lifetime. Chasing 308 for victory, Lara defended and attacked, he struggled and he slaughtered as he guided the Windies to a one-wicket victory and a shock 2-1 series lead with an unbeaten 153.

He must surely have been running on fumes when he reached Antigua for the final match, but he still summoned up another century - a lightning even 100 off 84 balls with 15 fours and three sixes in an ultimately losing cause.

It was simply Lara's series and his greatest sustained effort.

Just as Lara has passed Chappelli on my all-time list, he may too be overtaken some day. Boy, I'd love to see that guy bat!

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