The last emperor

The inevitable is finally upon us. All series, he has threatened with his presence alone, and all series he has been pegged back - by injury, by brilliant bowling, by misjudgment and by the inadequacies of his team-mates. But as they know only too well in these parts, the force of nature cannot be denied forever. The same volcanic fury that once engulfed the nearby island of Montserrat has just erupted over Antigua as well.

For the best part of ten years, Lara has been raging against the dying light of West Indies cricket. Today he turned maroon with wrath. He entered the match with a series tally of 100 runs in six innings, the fearful prospect of a home-series whitewash hanging over his head, and the unmistakable scrape of knives being unsheathed by his many detractors. But he finished the day with even the Barmy Army willing him on to yet greater deeds. They came to bury Lara, but not for the first time, they were compelled to praise him.

Just for a moment, let's put aside all sense of perspective - all killjoy observations about the flatness of the wicket and the balance of the series - and revel in the symbolic wonder of Lara's achievement. Ten years ago to the week, on the same ground and against the same opposition, Lara powered his way to the world Test batting record. Incredibly, he is on the verge of reclaiming that crown, a mere six months after it was purloined by Matthew Hayden. If the fates share in his sense of theatre, tomorrow's morning session could provide one of the great moments in Test history, and the greatest Easter resurrection since you-know-who.

It was a different world when Lara last scored a Test triple-century. He was young and carefree for a start, and West Indies still held sway in the global pecking order. Within the year, however, they had been beaten at home by Australia, and the pillars of their empire have been crumbling away ever since. In this series, one of the most cherished records of all - 36 years of mastery over the colonial masters - came to an inglorious end. But, as West Indies proved in Antigua this time last year, when they averted the whitewash by chasing a world-record 418 against Australia, pride can still be a spine-tingling motivational factor.

But it can be a hugely divisive factor as well. For ego is everything to Caribbean cricket - it was what made West Indies invincible for two decades, and it is what is now drives them to internecine warfare. In the hands of a genius, like Lara or Viv Richards before him, it can drive an individual to achieve the impossible, but far too many of the current side have feet of clay for either man's liking. As Richards said in an interview with David Gower during the tea interval, he puts up with his players because he has no choice.

It is little wonder, therefore, if Lara is a bit preoccupied to brush up on his man-management skills. But today's supreme innings should at least have put paid once and for all to the calls for his removal as captain. Lara is the last emperor of Caribbean cricket. Until the revolution comes, and the West Indies Cricket Board wises up to the need for root-and-branch reform, there can be no pretenders to his throne.