Lara masterclass leaves Australia stunned

On this day in 1993, 23-year old Brian Lara struck one of the finest double centuries in Test cricket to help revive a deflated West Indies that appeared to be going through the motion. Having drawn the first Test in Brisbane, West Indies succumbed to a 139 defeat in the second in Melbourne. Coming in to the New Year's Test in Sydney, West Indies had to avoid defeat to entertain any hope of winning the series. Australia batted first and scored a mammoth 503 riding on Steve Waugh's 100. West Indies, in reply were reduced to 31/2 when BC Lara walked in. What followed next has been described by Wisden as an innings of 'breathtaking quality'. Lara unfurled his full repertoire of shots, striking 38 fours, in his innings of 277. He was ably supported by Richie Richardson, who struck a fine century of his own. The duo put on 293 for the third wicket as West Indies racked up 607 runs in their first innings. Lara's sublime innings changed the complexion of the series. The Test match in Sydney was drawn and then the fired up West Indies team came back to win in Adelaide and Perth and completed a memorable series win.