What the papers said about . . . Brian Lara

'You know when you've been Lara'd . . . Five-star Brian had world record hunch at lunch.' Sun

'A lorra, lorra Lara . . . Thanks to Lara it is no longer necessary to say: Ah but you should have seen Trumper, Barnes or Stoddart or to shed a misty tear for my Hornby and my Barlow long ago. Now all you have to say is: You should see Lara. Because he's here, today, now. We can forget the past.' Guardian

'Bat out of heaven.' Star

'The Durham scorer, Brian Hunt, said he had never worked as hard in his life but it had been worth it. He looked tired, but elated, just like Brian Lara himself.' Independent

'The day he tore up Wisden.' Today

'June 6: It was Brian's D-Day.' Mirror

'In an effort to find some achilles heel, it has been suggested that he is vulnerable to short-pitched bowling from a genuinely quick bowler. We await the arrival of the man who can prove it.' Mail

'He may not think he is yet a great player, but he is the only one with that view. Brian Lara is simply the king of cricket.' Express

'After scaling the peak of Test match batting in Antingua, he has now achieved the equivalent in first-class cricket. First, the executive level fell to him, now the shop floor.' Times

'Lara had just completed the highest first-class score in cricket history but at the clothing company Joe Bloggs they were wishing he had managed one more run . . . 501 was at best unfortunate, at worst a subliminal advertising campaign for a rival.' Guardian

'Brian Lara plays fantasy cricket. He deals in numbers beyond the imagination, comprehension and reach of almost every batsman who has lived . . . He is like the multi-millionaire whose wealth stretches to the stars and can buy anything in the world. Lara plays with Monopoly money . . . Go and see him - watch genius at work.' Sun

'By the way, the match was drawn.' Independent