Watch: 53-year-old Brian Lara, more than fifteen years into international retirement, rolled back the years by unleashing a range of his trademark shots against Rashid Khan in a net session in Perth.
Lara and Rashid faced each other on day three of the Australia-West Indies Adelaide Test during the dinner break. Rashid is set to play for Adelaide Strikers in the upcoming Big Bash League, while Lara is part of the commentary team for the ongoing Australia-West Indies Test series.
The two players, nearly three decades apart in age, went head to head in Adelaide. With Mark Howard acting as umpire/commentator for the mini-battle, the two first played in “Test” format, putting in place hypothetical field placements and scenarios. The ever-competitive Lara remarked that Rashid was bowling a little short, giving him time to go on the backfoot.
After Lara had played around for the first few balls, Howard switched the scenario to 12 runs required off one over. At first, Rashid seemed to be winning the battle, keeping Lara tied down with his vicious, fast-in-the-air variations. Then, off the third ball, Lara unleashed a cracking square cut, reading the length and playing the ball late and fine. The shot was right out of Lara’s Nineties book of brilliance.
Next ball, he masterfully whipped a delivery off his pads behind square. Howard only deemed it a single, but Lara wasn’t convinced, insisting that it would have gone for four. With six needed off two, Rashid sent down a stifling length ball – the equation down to five off the last one. Rashid dropped it in short, and Lara pummelled it over what would be deep midwicket, holding his pose as everyone around admired the stroke. Howard declared it to be a four – the face-off ending in a tie.
