In this particular series, England had won all the previous three matches and they came to Antigua with a clean sweep in mind. Brain Lara (haven’t gone past 50 in this series) was in tremendous pressure before this match. WI bowlers didn’t get 20 wickets in any of the match in the series.
After Ganga was dismissed for just 10, Lara came in to bat. He takes time to settle where at the other end Chris Gayle attacked the English bowlers before being dismissed. Lara grind out and survived a raucous fourth-ball appeal for caught behind off Steve Harmison
By the end of the first day he had made 86 out of 208 for 2; by the end of the second he was on 313 out of 595 for 5. His concentration was all the more remarkable given he later admitted to Thorpe he had struggled to sleep and only managed a couple of hours each night.
On third day, Twenty minutes before lunch Lara hoisted Batty into the Viv Richards pavilion to equal Hayden's record. The next ball was swept for four and the record was his again after it had been only 185 days in Australia. He jumped in the air and knelt to once more kiss the pitch.
Lara score 400 runs (not out) in 582 balls with a strike rate near to 70 which was not bad in test cricket. He scored 43 fours and four sixes in this innings. It was one of the great innings in cricket history. It provides inspiration to lot of kids in Caribbean.
A weary England side were bowled out for 285 - Flintoff making an unbeaten 102 - and followed on 466 in arrears. But West Indies lacked the firepower to bowl them out again, and after Vaughan made 140, the match drifted to a draw, with England 422 for 5.
The records and plaudits were Lara's but the series was lost. As he said after the match. "I am very happy, but at the end of the day my spirit is still dampened by the series result."
If WI bowlers would have taken 20 wickets, then there would be no questions like this. A lot commented about the pitch which doesn’t have anything for the bowlers. Why then no one scored a 400 in that pitch after.
In current generation, players have more T20 mindset, Test match are not even moving to fifth day. I think Lara will hold this record for substantial time.