Brian Lara celebrates in 1994

In April, at the Recreation Ground in St John's, Antigua, Lara broke fellow West Indian Sir Garfield Sobers' record for the highest individual score in a Test match, with 375 scored against England.

Just two months later, this time in a county match against Durham at Edgbaston, the left-hander hammered 501 for Warwickshire to beat Hanif Mohammed's previous best score in a first class cricket match.

Lara has also gone on to skipper his country, although he has never reached the heights of those incredible months in 1994.

Alec Stewart

The son of a former England selector, Stewart took some time to establish himself as a Test match batsman before becoming one of the pillars of the England side, appearing in over 100 Tests since his debut in 1989.

As captain, he guided England to victory over South Africa in 1998, but after a comprehensive defeat in Australia that winter, combined with his own loss of form, Stewart lost the captaincy.

Hansie Cronje

Although Cronje is destined to be remembered for all the wrong reasons following his admitted involvement in match-fixing earlier this year, it should not be forgotten that he was regarded for many years as the outstanding cricket captain of his generation.

He first skippered South Africa at the age of 24 when he deputised for the injured Kepler Wessels in Australia.

After initial defeats against Australia and New Zealand, he then led his country to five successive Test victories, a record for a South African.

A potentially lethal batsman and economic bowler, Cronje cut a dynamic and dashing figure as national captain. His subsequent demise has rocked the cricket world.

Salim Malik

With a style so smooth that David Gower christened him as the man "wearing velvet gloves", Malik scored a Test century on his debut and never looked back.

Pakistan cricket followers will always remember him for two other innings. In 1987 in Calcutta against India he surmounted an asking rate of 11 runs an over, whilst a year earlier in his native land he came out to bat against the West Indies with a broken arm.

He had a successful stint at captaincy from the away tour of New Zealand in 1993-94 to the Zimbabwe tour of 1995, which included his match-saving 237 against Australia at Lahore, his highest Test score.

Martin Crowe

Martin Crowe - one of the best Kiwi batsmen ever

Whilst the Kiwis could boast one of the finest bowlers of his era in Sir Richard Hadlee, Crowe's prowess with the bat gave the side a better sense of balance during the mid to late 80s.

Playing in more than 75 Tests, Crowe achieved an average of 45 with a highest score of 299. An excellent fielder, Crowe could also bowl effectively as a medium pacer.

Mark Waugh

Blessed with perhaps more natural talent than his twin brother Steve, who captains Australia, this Waugh brother is considered one of the top batting talents in the modern game.

Ironically, when Waugh broke into the Test set-up in the 1990-91 season, it was at Steve's expense.

Sometimes erratic to the extreme - during the 1992-93 tour to Sri Lanka he scored four successive Test ducks - it is also accepted that Waugh in full effect is a very difficult talent to contain.

Mark Waugh - has incurred the wrath of cricketing authorities before

Along with Steve, he holds the world record partnership of 464 for the fifth wicket for New South Wales against Western Australia in 1990-91.

His lowest moment came in 1998 when it became public knowledge that he and Australian teammate Shane Warne had accepted money from an Indian bookmaker during a tour of Sri Lanka in 1994.

Arjuna Ranatunga

Ranatunga's place in Sri Lanka cricket history was guaranteed after he guided his side to World Cup triumph in 1996. Much credit was given to his imaginative captaincy, which has in many ways revolutionised one-day cricket.

He made his debut in Sri Lanka's inaugural Test at the age of 18, and made his country's first Test half-century.

A short and somewhat squat figure, Ranatunga's ability to score quickly without the use of quick singles marked him out as a vital part of the side during one-day games.

He lost the captaincy following Sri Lanka's poor showing in the 1999 World Cup, and retired from international cricket a year later.

Aravinda de Silva

Nominally an all-rounder, de Silva is best known for his back-foot stroke play.

A Test career which began back in 1984 at Lords, the Sri Lankan is not currently involved in the one-day side, which recently captured the Sharjah Cup at the expense of India.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammed Azharuddin - once scored three consecutive centuries

'Azhar' brought himself to the fore with a world record of three centuries in consecutive Test matches.

Assumed captaincy of a very poor Indian team in the early 90's. He must still be wondering whether it was worth the trouble, for despite being the nation's most successful cricket leader, he has been vilified in all corners for the style of his captaincy and also because of his personal life.

He briefly lost the captaincy to Sachin Tendulkar, but when he too began to suffer from the burden, Azhar regained the leadership until the 1999 World Cup, which saw him take the blame once again for his country's erratic performances.

Manoj Prabhakar

A cricketer who could bat at the start or the middle of an innings, Prabhakar is still best remembered for as a stock bowler who could bowl long spells without losing either accuracy or hostility.

He was a member of the Indian team in three successive World Cup competitions.