If Trinidad and Tobago were a monarchy, Brian Charles Lara would probably already have been king, at least a knight. That accolade would have been given in 1994, when he made the then world record 375 at the Antigua Recreation Ground, against England.

By making his 23rd Test century, and his sixth double-century, at the Wanderers in the first Test of 2003/4, his first against South Africa in 13 Test matches, almost ten years after gaining that world batting record, one that only recently was overtaken by Australia's Matthew Hayden, Brian Lara has removed so many obstacles and memories.

In 1998, Lara, then also captain, totalled 310 runs from his ten innings in the five-Test series against South Africa, a series that had so much promise but which started with so much confusion and compromise that it was condemned to end in ignominy; 50 against the West Indies. It was not even that close.

Lara's average of 31.00 then was second only to Ridley Jacobs, the venerable wicketkeeper averaging 45 with an aggregate of 317 runs. Lara's highest score in that series was 79. Lara has already made more than half of all of his runs of that 1998 tour.

This last innings of 202, included one over from leftarm spinner Robin Peterson which yielded 28 runs (a world record for the total in a Test over 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4).

Talk about burying the past and making history; the past is dead and truly buried in this bowlers' nightmare of a pitch at the Wanderers. Lara simply has to make more history now.

As Lara had trumpeted often enough recently: "This is the new me!!" After all, in his 99th Test, he has now scored five Test centuries, including that double hundred, since retaking the captaincy earlier this year; two against Australia, one each against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe and now the double against South Africa. What a comeback!

Lara has also already become the highest scoring batsman in the history of West Indian cricket, playing 22 fewer Test matches than his predecessor, Sir Viv Richards whose effort was 121 Tests and 8540 runs. Sir Gary Sobers makes up the trio of West Indian batsmen to have made at least 8,000 Test runs.

Sobers, the greatest allrounder of them all, and to many, the greatest batsman of them all, did manage 8,032 runs from 93 Test appearances. He also got 235 Test wickets at an average of 34.00.

Lara's present Test aggregate, after the first innings of this Test is 8,828 runs from 99 Tests. His total is seventh in all of world cricket history.

Ahead of him are Alan Border - Australia (156 Tests, 11,174 runs); Steve Waugh - Australia (166 Tests, 10,788 runs); Sunil Gavaskar - India (125 Tests, 10,122 runs); Graeme Gooch - England (118 Tests, 8,900 runs); Sachin Tendulkar - India (109 Tests, 8,883 runs) and Javed Miandad - Pakistan (124 Tests, 8,832 runs). Junior Waugh's last Test will be Australia's Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, so, soon, only Sachin alone will still be playing with Brian.

In the West Indian century stakes, Lara, with this 23rd century, tucks in nicely behind Sir Viv, who had 24 while Sir Gary is still a few lengths ahead with 26.

Since Lara is still in the race, while the other two have scratched from the Test stakes, one could assume that it would only be a matter of time before Lara gallops ahead of those two great knights. Also, if Lara plays as many Tests as Alan Border did, another 57, he is almost sure to get more than the currently required 2,342 to equal Border's aggregate.