In 1994 in Antigua Brian Charles Lara became the first batsman to score 375 runs in a test innings since the first test match was played in 1877. A few months later the supremely gifted Trinidad and Tobago left-hander became the first batsman to score 500 runs in a single first class innings playing in England for Warwickshire.
Yesterday at the Mecca in Barbados, the West Indies captain, in his second term of office, broke another record as the regional side went down by nine wickets to Australia as the third test ended with the home team trailing 3-nil in the four test series.
Lara who celebrated a not so happy birthday on the second day of the test match, became the first West Indian captain to lose three consecutive test matches at home since the West Indies played their first home series against England in 1929.
This is only the second instance ever that the West Indies has lost three matches in a test series at home. Ironically, it was also the Australians who beat the West Indies thrice for the first time in the Caribbean when they won the 1955 series 3-nil.
This was the only test in the series that Lara, who was given the captaincy in preference the incumbent captain Hooper after the world cup, has failed to register a century. But like in Guyana and his homeland Trinidad when he batted brilliantly for centuries, the bigger picture was that the West Indies still lost badly.
This loss is Lara's 13th defeat in his 21 matches as captain compared to Hooper's 11 defeats in his 22 matches as captain.
The crushing Australia victory achieved 17 minutes before tea on a terrible pitch at Kensington Oval, meant that none of the three tests have gone into the final session.
The West Indies are now in great danger of their first ever whitewash at home as they head for the final test which starts in Antigua on Friday.
A victory in Antigua for Australia will be special for skipper Steve Waugh since it will put him in the record books as the captain with the most test victories. Former West Indian and Guyana captain Clive Lloyd shares the record with Waugh on 36 wins each.
It was on the 108 square miles island of Antigua where Austriala began their nine-match winning run against the West Indies. They won the final test in the 1999 series, all five in Australia in 2000/2001 and the first three in this series.
Lara, suffering from fever during this match said after the game yesterday that he is 'fine' and will be in the line up for the final test.
"We batted well but we need to improve on our bowling. Our aim is not to lose the next test match and be beaten 4-nil" he informed.
Lara and his deputy Ramnaresh Sarwan were together when the final day began yesterday and hope still very much alive of avoiding defeat. The pair was also at the crease in the second test in Trinidad when close to 15,000 expectant West Indian fans excitedly urged their team on.
But on both occasions, the fans lived in hope and died in despair as Sarwan's dismissal exposed the brittle West Indies lower order batting line up which was blown away by the Australians in clinical fashion.
In Trinidad Lara and his second in command batted resolutely for the entire first session before Sarwan threw his wicket away in the first over after lunch to start the slide to defeat.
Yesterday Sarwan was removed with the day's first ball without adding to his overnight 58. But this was mainly due to a tough LBW decision as he padded out to a dipping full toss on off stump to give Man-of-the-Match Staurt McGill one of his five wickets in the second innings and nine in the game.
When Lara (42) was LBW to Andy Bichel eight runs later at 195-5 the West Indies were all but dead and buried.
A brave 61 run sixth wicket stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul (21) and debutante Omari Banks (32) only prolonged the agony for the few 'die hard' West Indians in the ground as the home side slumped from 256-5 to 284 all out leaving Australia just nine runs to win.
Twenty-one year-old fast bowler Jermaine Lawson gave the home fans something to shout about when Justin Langer, watched by close to 2,000 Aussie fans, was LBW off the first ball of the innings.
Lawson who took wickets with the final two balls of the Australia first innings became the fourth West Indian and youngest of them all to claim a hat-trick in test cricket. He is also the third West Indian to do so against Australia.
Lawson joined President of the WICB, Wes Hall (1955 vs.Pak), Lance Gibbs (1961 vs Aus) and Courtney Walsh (1992 vs Aus) as the West Indians with hat-tricks in test cricket. He is also the second youngest player after Pakistan's Abdul Rasack to achieve a hat-trick in test cricket.
But Lawson's great achievement, and the two half-centuries from his fellow Jamaican Chris Galye, who looked focussed on his come back trail, could not compensate for another uninspiring West Indies performance.
Both teams know there is much to play for in the final test. But for now, the team from 'down under' is on top of the world.