10 Sportspeople Considered The Greatest Ever

Cricket isn't exactly the most accessible or exciting sport, and that fact is largely borne out by its presence being rather restricted to Britain and its former imperial sphere of influence. So when a batsman comes along of such considerable aptitude that his name transcends a sport of largely esoteric names into mainstream culture, you know he must be something a bit special.

Lara burst onto the scene of Test cricket in January 1993 with a blistering debut tally of 277 for the West Indies against Australia, and from then on he had the proverbial runs for runs. The batsman capped off a stunning sequence of seven centuries in eight first-class innings with a record 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham, and was promptly approached by Audiogenic to front their series of cricket video games. The name Brian Lara became a household name in the process, synonymous with cricket-sims for the next twelve years.

Three years before retiring, Lara famously racked up a quadruple century against England in 2004; the highest ever score in a Test innings. Mere months before finally putting his bat down for good, the West Indies legend became the first ever cricketer to surpass 10,000 ODI runs. Brian Lara cricket games ceased with his retirement, and no-one has come close to replicating his universal appeal since.

An Alternative Choice: Sachin Tendulkar

Whereas Lara broke records with his prolific batting, there was another following close behind. Across a near-quarter century career, Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar not only matched Lara's 10,000 ODI runs, but ultimately surpassed it. Though his achievements owe much to his longevity as well as his ability, few can argue with the credentials of a man with 30,000 international runs - the only player in history to hit such a milestone.