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Lara - final international outing.

By Myles Hodgson, PA Sport Cricket Correspondent, Barbados

Cricket's leading figures have paid tribute to Brian Lara as he prepares to play the final match of his illustrious international career against England later today.

The inspirational left-hander will play his final innings in the World Cup Super Eight match at the Kensington Oval to bring his glittering career to a close after scoring 11,953 Test runs and 10,387 one-day international runs.

During that career he has claimed the individual Test world record twice, hit 34 Test hundreds at an average of 52 and 19 one-day international centuries.

His stunning displays earned him the admiration of his fellow professionals, many of whom regard him as the greatest player of his generation.

"He's been a wonderful player and a wonderful ambassador to the game as well, I think," enthused New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.

"He's played the game in a very good spirit but done it in an entertaining way. I heard him say he wanted to be an entertainer - he was all that and more.

"He was a player who created interest in New Zealand and around the world, so he brought more players to the game. For a left-hander (like me) he was inspirational to watch and play against and it's sad to see him go."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes Lara's achievements have been all the more remarkable for having to carry an under-performing West Indies side virtually single-handed over the last five years.

"The thing a lot of people don't think much about with Brian Lara, is that he's basically had the weight of that whole team on his shoulders for the best part of 10 years now and had to carry their batting and win them games almost by himself," said Ponting.

"That sort of pressure going into every game, for him to be able stand up and perform is something that should never be overlooked.

"I've always thought he and Sachin (Tendulkar) have been the two greatest batsmen I've ever played against, probably for different reasons.

"Brian has got the ability to turn it on when he wants and take an attack apart and Sachin has been the most technically correct player I've seen."

Opener Matthew Hayden, another left-hander, added: "Brian is probably unheralded as far as batting technique goes.

"He's got an unusual, unorthodox technique which makes bowlers look embarrassed at times. I love the way he manipulates the field and it's a pretty sad day for cricket because he is a tremendous ambassador for the game."