Team: Trinidad & Tobago
ODI debut: 9/11/90
Past World Cups: 1992, 1996, 1999
Left-arm leg-break bowler
Oozing with natural talent and aggression, Lara is undoubtedly one of the most exciting batsmen in the world of cricket.
The powerful left-hander burst onto the world stage by taking 375 from England's bowlers in Antigua in 1994, which still stands as the highest individual Test score of all time.
He followed that up in a matter of months by blasting the highest first class score - 501 for Warwickshire against Durham.
Lara had already long established himself in one-day cricket, having been part of the West Indies' 1992 World Cup squad.
His record in the one-day arena speaks for itself - he has hit over 7,500 runs, averaging over 40 having peaked in early 1997 at just shy of 48.
But Lara's international career has suffered moments of disappointment caused by injury, personal problems and lack of confidence, most notably when he threatened retirement in 2000.
The 1999 West Indies World Cup squad captain has appeared to be back to his old form of late, although he has been dogged by injury and health problems, which most recently included suspected hepatitis.