It was the last day of a riveting game of cricket at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. West Indies, who went toe-to-toe against a wounded Australian side, were 85 for three in their pursuit of 308. That they came this far in the game was a wonder in itself. After Australia had made 490, the hosts were down in the dumps before Curtly Ambrose, with a five-for in the second innings, put a big foot in the door before the Australians could shut up shop.
Now it was up to the Prince himself to tilt back the game in the islander's favour. Brian Lara had been skipper for less than six months at that time and already his side had been decimated in South Africa and in the first Test against Australia, they were shot down for 51.
On March 30, 1999, Jason Gillespie removed Lara's overnight partner Adrian Griffith and the enigmatic Carl Hooper early in the morning to reduce the hosts to 105 for five.
This was the thing with Lara. He thrived in a scrap and already, the incident involving Glenn McGrath spitting on Griffith had riled him up. The Australian captain Steve Waugh had always been wary of a shaky, strayed Lara: it meant the Prince needed a cause that was personal and here, Australia presented him one.
Waugh Sr. had an attack to die for. Apart from the pace battery of McGrath and Gillespie, he had a leg-spin attack made in heaven. Stuart MacGill and Shane Warne were like chalk and cheese but together, on a fifth day wicket, spelled trouble.
Lara, though, gave his opposite number a first fright by pealing three boundaries off MacGill, twice lofting through mid-wicket and a sweep shot. Off Warne, he pulled the blonde genius for a six over mid-wicket that landed on the roof of the stand and then complemented his strength with a deft late cut that went for four.
Slowly, he restored the West Indies chase through the 133-run sixth wicket stand with Jimmy Adams and it was evident that there was no stopping the brilliant left-hander.
Probably the seminal 375 and his record-breaking 501 (not out) were some of the few innings where Lara played against a weaker opposition and the sole cause of scoring runs. Otherwise, he needed the opposition to talk to him and after he'd settled down, Waugh brought back McGrath for another crack. Soon enough, the robotic fast bowler hit him on the back of the head, igniting him into body-charging McGrath after he completed the single. And there was instant revenge for the crowd as Lara crashed him for four.
After he reached his century with a six over long-on off Warne, trouble followed. After the lunch interval, Adams, Ridley Jacobs and Nehemiah Perry all fell in a cluster and Lara was left with Ambrose to thwart this great bowling attack.
What followed was not only riveting but the greatest example of Lara's influence on the West Indies cricket team. He did it all on his own with another end being guarded manfully by a glorified tail-ender who was in his final years of international cricket.
As Ambrose stood firm for 89 minutes, Lara manipulated the strike as he took his side closer to an improbable victory. But with only six to win, Ambrose gave Matthew Elliott a catch. As Courtney Walsh played out a McGrath over with embellished follow-throughs, Lara stung Australian hearts with a blazing cover drive.
West Indies won by one wicket and Lara finished on 153 not out, the greatest of his 34 Test centuries
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