Brian Lara could not be stopped. Even in defeat. His last match international cricket had just ended in a narrow loss to England here at a packed Kensington Oval. His last innings was only a meager 18, and run out too. But neither of those disappointments could stop Lara saying a fond farewell to West Indies and world cricket yesterday.
By Garth WattleyFollowing the presentation ceremony following yesterday's game, the Prince of Port of Spain, jumped the security barriers ringing the ground and made an entire slow circuit of the ground.
As many hands as were thrust at him he shook. He signed hats, books. He waved. And perhaps for the first time yesterday, he smiled.
A 17-year career of 131 Tests, 299 One Day Internationals, and a combined total of 22,358 runs, including 53 centuries had just ended.
But any sadness at that closed chapter, was lost for a time in this moment with fans from the world over who with their banners of support and thanks had come really, to bid him farewell.
It was the kind of support he told the media later, had yesterday, "brought tears to my eyes".
"Did I entertain?" he asked them.
The collective roar told them that he had.
And he will now go he said knowing he had played the correct final stroke.
"I don't see myself regretting this decision," he told a packed media conference later, daughter Sydney at his side.
"I came to the realisation a long time ago that this was going to be my last game. I decided since Grenada-I prepared myself.
"I knew it must come to an end at some point in time. I have my daughter here to spend a lot more time with her, I've got a few business interests in their genesis period and hopefully I would be able to spend more time with it."
Much speculation has surrounded the timing and reasons for Lara's retirement.
And despite declaring that he knew he had made the right decision, when asked whether retirement had been influenced by the West Indies selectors, he responded: "I don't know anything about selection. I know that I sat with the selectors in Antigua to pick the team for England. Of course I picked myself. That's all that I know at this present time."
Lara said he now wanted to, "move back a little bit and relax".
But he made it plain he would not be lost to West Indies cricket.
"I've had an open door policy with the players. They all know my number. They can call me at any point in time for anything at all and I'll be there to support them."
