Brian Lara

The only batsman to hold the record for the highest individual score in both Test cricket (400 not out vs England, 2004) and first-class cricket (501 not out, 1994), Trinidad's Brian Lara was the most technically gifted stroke-maker in the post-Sobers era, with a backlift of extreme height that produced a crack-of-the-bat sound so distinctive it was recognizable from across a stadium. He scored 11,953 Test runs at 52.88 despite playing for a West Indies side in long-term decline.