'Man, what a player!'
'The ease in which he batted brought out a kind of awe in us.'
West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara reveals a player that he believes was more talented than him and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar.
In his new book, Lara: The England Chronicles, the Windies batting great identifies the player to be former West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper.
'Carl was easily one of the best players I've ever seen. I would say that not even Tendulkar and I would come close to that talent. Separate Carl's career from playing to captaining and his numbers are very different,' Lara said in his book as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
'As a captain, he averaged nearly 50, so he enjoyed the responsibility. It is sad that only as a captain did he fulfill his true potential,' Lara added.
Hooper represented the West Indies in 102 Tests from 1987 to 2002, scoring 5,762 runs at an average of 36.46, with 13 centuries and 27 fifties. His best score was 233. He also took 114 wickets, with the best figures of 5/26.
In 227 ODIs, he scored 5,761 runs at an average of 35.34, with seven centuries and 29 fifties, best score of 113*. Hooper also took 193 wickets in the ODI format, with the best figures of 4/34.
He also captained the West Indies in 22 Tests, winning just four, losing 11, and drawing seven. Hooper had a much better ODI record as a captain, winning 23 of his 49 matches, losing 24, and two ending in no result.
Speaking about Hooper's 111-run knock against England at Lord's in 1991, Lara said that inning reminded him of Carl's class. He also said that despite being so talented, Carl himself could not understand how great he was.
'When I think back to that Lord's match, I see the class of Carl Hooper. Man, what a player! The ease in which he batted brought out a kind of awe in us, and in all of us, even the senior players,' Lara recalled.
'You felt that when Carl went out to bat, they enjoyed it -- Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, all these guys would stop what they were doing just to watch him,' Lara said.
'He was so talented, yet he didn't understand just how good he was. People would ask why he didn't do full justice to his brilliance, and you know what, there is no clear reason for it,' he added.
Lara also opened up on how Viv Richards used to make him and Hooper cry sometimes because of his 'intimidating voice', but he was fond of Hooper much more than Lara.
'I will say this: Viv used to make me cry every three weeks, but he would make Carl cry once a week. Viv's tone of voice is intimidating and if you are not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it. Me, I was never really affected by it.
'In a way, I welcomed it, because I was so much under his arm that I knew abuse was coming and I was a strong personality. Carl? I know for a fact that Carl shied away from Viv Richards,' said Lara.
'I don't think Viv wilfully intimidated you. It was just his make-up. He is not a bully. Viv Richards is not a bully. But Viv has a very strong personality. He is a very aggressive person who dealt with most things that way.
'If we had a team meeting, he would inspire. He would back his players forever. He would talk in such a way that it left a mark on you. Even now, he is not a soft person. Maybe he has a soft side, but a soft person?'
'Now listen, it needs to be said that Viv Richards never cried down on a person because he did not want them to be great like him. His sternness was who he was, but he never wanted you not to do well. It was just how he was.
'And look, Viv loved Carl. Much more than he loved me, that is for sure. But the way Viv shows love did not resonate with Carl.'
