"Not even Tendulkar and I would come close to that talent" - Brian Lara makes massive claim about former West Indies batter
West Indies great Brian Lara has made a stunning claim in his new book, stating that his former teammate Carl Hooper was more talented than him and Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. Lara added that Hooper did not do justice to his potential except for the phase when he was the captain.
A former West Indies batting all-rounder, Hooper played 102 Tests and 227 ODIs from 1987 to 2003. He scored 5762 in Test matches at an average of 36.46 and 5761 runs in ODIs, averaging 35.34. He is often referred to as one of the biggest enigmas of the game.
In his new book, 'Lara: The England Chronicles', the former West Indies captain, termed by many as one of the greatest batters in history, picked Hooper above him and Tendulkar when it came to possessing pure cricketing talent.
"Carl was easily one of the best players I've ever seen. I would say that not even Tendulkar and I would come close to that talent. Separate Carl's career from playing to captaining and his numbers are very different. As a captain, he averaged nearly 50, so he enjoyed the responsibility. It is sad that only as a captain did he fulfill his true potential," Lara wrote in his book, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Apart from his batting skills, Hooper was also a more than decent off-spinner, who claimed 114 wickets in Tests and 193 in ODIs. While he had 20 centuries in international cricket, he also picked up four five-fers.
"He didn't understand just how good he was" - Lara on Hooper's underwhelming numbers
Reflecting on Hooper's middling numbers in international cricket, Lara opined that the former West Indies captain perhaps never understood how good he was. Speaking about the former's famous 111-run knock against England at Lord's in 1991, he said that the innings was an illustration of the class that Hooper had.
"When I think back to that Lord's match, I see the class of Carl Hooper. Man, what a player. The ease in which he batted brought out a kind of awe in us, and in all of us, even the senior players. You felt that when Carl went out to bat, they enjoyed it - Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards, Richard Greenidge, all these guys would stop what they were doing just to watch him," Lara said.
"He was so talented, yet he didn't understand just how good he was. People would ask why he didn't do full justice to his brilliance, and you know what, there is no clear reason for it," he added.
Hooper led the West Indies in 22 Tests, winning only four of them and losing 11. The remaining games ended in a draw. In ODIs, he won 23 of his 49 matches, losing 24, while two matches produced no result.