[Watch] When 25-year-old Brian Lara registered the highest-ever First-class score
West Indies legend Brian Lara broke the record for the highest First-class score on this day in 1994 when he scored an unbeaten 501 for his English county Warwickshire against Durham in Birmingham.
The Prince of Trinidad surpassed the previous highest score of 499 set by Pakisan's Hanif Mohammad for Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1958/59.
Lara recorded the highest score in Test Cricket only a couple of months back when he smashed England for a majestic 375 in Antigua.
As we reminisce on the genius of Brian Lara, let us look back on the highlights of his famous 501 in the video below:
501 Not Out
#OnThisDay in 1994, @BrianLara achieved immortality when he reached a score of 501* in a first class innings for @WarwickshireCCC against Durham at Edgbaston.
Previous highest FC score in an innings was 499 by H Mohammad for Karachi in 1959
https://t.co/I3ZeiaXBvE
Brian Lara's knock included an incredible 62 fours and 10 sixes as he tore apart the Durham attack with a strike rate of 117.33.
Lara became the first cricketer to make seven centuries in eight First-class innings, starting with his 375 against England. His 375 against England remained the highest Test score in Test cricket for 19 years. Australian opener Matthew Hayden broke the record by scoring a belligerent 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
However, a defiant Lara recaptured the record by smashing an unimaginable 400* against England six months later in the final Test of the four-match series at Antigua.
Brian Lara is currently working as the head coach of the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), taking over from Tom Moody a year ago. Unfortunately, in his first season as SRH coach, the team did not live up to expectations. They finished last on the points table in the recently concluded IPL season.
A look back at Brian Lara's cricketing career
Former West Indian captain Brian Lara made his international debut against Pakistan in 1990 and has since been among the central figures in the game.
One of the most accomplished batters to ever play the game, the southpaw holds several records apart from the highest first-class and Test score in cricketing history.
The Trinidadian is one of the few batters to score more than 10,000 runs in the Test and ODI format, amassing an incredible 22,358 runs in his illustrious career.
Lara was also atop the ICC rankings for long periods of his career and captained the West Indies to triumph in the 2004 Champions Trophy in England.
His knock of 153* in the third Test against Australia at Barbados in 1999 has been rated by Wisden as the second-best batting performance in the history of Test cricket. In that series, Lara scored 546 runs in seven innings at an unbelievable average of 91, including three centuries and a half-century.
The champion cricketer is also the fastest to 10,000 Test runs in terms of innings and is third in the number of double-centuries behind only Kumar Sangakkara and Donald Bradman.
The West Indian's healthy rivalry during the 90s and 2000s with Sachin Tendulkar remains among the most competitive battles among experts and fans alike.
While it has been over 16 years since Brian Lara retired from international cricket, his records and memories remain etched in stone for cricket fans all around the globe.