The cricket hall of famers spoke to FORBES AFRICA about how international matches are a lot friendlier with more connections between players unified by a common love and passion for the sport.



Getting two cricket legends in the same room is a feat, and when it’s a former batsman and bowler sharing an excellent rapport, it’s great content on stage, and off it – even if it’s for an impromptu five-minute interview.



On the sidelines of the Mastercard&nbsp;EDGE 2024 forum in Dubai last week, FORBES AFRICA caught up with Trinidadian former international cricketer Brian Lara and Australian former international player Glenn McGrath.



One of the greatest batsmen of all time, known for his world record 400 versus England in Antigua two decades ago, Lara opened up about the camaraderie and friendship he shares with McGrath, off the field as well, but also how the global cricketing fraternity today is a lot more connected, which formats such as the IPL have solidified.&nbsp;



“When we played, it was a little more difficult, because we were most likely, most of the time, playing country against country, [such as] Australia versus West Indies, Australia versus England. And the opportunity to sort of come together might happen at the end of a match,” Lara, who played for the West Indies and known as ‘the prince of Trinidad’, tells FORBES AFRICA.



“With today&#8217;s cricket, [especially] franchise cricket, where you know the Australians are playing with the Indian, English or West Indian players, you see that it [is] making international matches a lot friendlier. I think that is one of the key components in franchise cricket, getting players together, and you&#8217;re seeing a lot more friendships created.”



McGrath, considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time, nods in agreement, saying: “The thing I loved about playing IPL was that all of a sudden, you get to play alongside guys you&#8217;ve only ever played against, and you realize that we&#8217;re not that different. Whether you&#8217;re from the West Indies, Australia, India, Pakistan, England, South Africa, there&#8217;s a common love and passion for the game. We might prepare a few things differently, but the synergies are there and the similarities are there, and you realize that we&#8217;re not that different at the end of the day.”



Lara adds: “I didn&#8217;t play much of franchise cricket, but what is interesting is, when you&#8217;re hearing a South African talking about another South African player, his strengths and his weaknesses, or an Australian talking about another Australian player, you know that is information you have never gotten before. So, all of a sudden, you&#8217;re sharing that sort of information.



“And I think actually, there are players in today&#8217;s world who are friendlier or [have] stronger friendships like, for instance, [between] South African [cricketer] AB de Villiers and Indian player [Virat] Kohli… What they show on the surface, [it] looks like their friendship is very strong. So, that&#8217;s amazing. I know [with] Viv Richards and Ian Botham back in the day, through playing for Somerset, [it] was something very similar.”



On the personal front, Lara’s autobiography, Lara: The England Chronicles – about his matches against England playing county cricket – was released in July this year, and he says he is working on more books, and it&#8217;s just “a matter of proper timing”.



McGrath is focused on his eponymous foundation, raising money to provide support and care to individuals and families experiencing breast cancer.



“It keeps me busy, but we&#8217;ve got a great team at the foundation,” says McGrath. “If you have the right people, it&#8217;s amazing what you can achieve. Our goal is to get to every family in Australia going through breast cancer, with free support. And we&#8217;re very close to achieving that. Just [with] the fear that&#8217;s associated with the word ‘cancer’, to have someone to come along and help [you] navigate the health system, to know what&#8217;s coming up next, to allow you to make informed decisions of your treatment, and even just a shoulder to cry on, makes a huge difference.”



Earlier, as part of the ‘Priceless Surprise’ session at the Mastercard event on October 16, in a panel moderated by Indian actor and TV presenter Mandira Bedi, the two cricket greats enthralled a packed room with some colorful anecdotes from the field, and posed together for images with members of the audience.

Tag: Brian Lara Glenn McGrath

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

‘Players In Today’s Cricket Have Stronger Friendships’: 5 Minutes With Icons Brian Lara And Glenn McGrath