5 Test batsmen with most runs scored in losing causes

Brian Lara; West Indies

It is not surprising to note that more than half of Brian Lara’s innings ended in defeat. The 232 matches played by the left-hander yielded 11953 runs at an average of 52.8, of which 126 innings ended in losses- for the side. However, just like his team-mate Chanderpaul, Lara too tried his utmost to pitch in with performances that could deny the inevitable for West Indies.

An average of 42.19 with 5316 runs in defeats shows the abysmal state of affairs in the island nation. Despite possessing two outright match-winners in Lara and Chanderpaul, who continued giving their best to guide the Windies to safety, the standard of the other players, who could not support these icons adequately, throws light upon the melancholic situation in the nation that was once replete with match-winners.

Lara scored 14 of his 34 tons in a losing cause, with five of them against the mighty Australians. Though the results against them were hardly in his favour, his average of 40.97 in losses against them did give glimpses of his ability to convincingly tackle the menacing pace attack that the champion side possessed.