Lara elaborates on Hooper’s exceptional skills, particularly highlighting his impressive performance as a captain and his critical role in significant matches.
“Carl was easily one of the best players I’ve ever seen. I would say that not even Tendulkar and myself would come close to that talent,” wrote Lara in his new book – ‘Lara: The England Chronicles.’Lara further elaborates on Hooper’s exceptional aptitude, particularly during his tenure as captain, noting that Hooper truly shone when given leadership responsibilities.
“Separate Carl’s career from playing to captaining, and his numbers are very different. As a captain, he averaged near to 50, so he enjoyed the responsibility. It’s sad that only as a captain did he fulfill his true potential,” Lara explained.
Lara reminisces about Hooper’s pivotal role in the drawn Test match against England at Lord’s in June 1991, which followed a rare West Indies defeat at Headingley, marking their first away loss to England since 1969. Lara credits the match as a testament to Hooper’s prowess.
“When I think back to that Lord’s match, I see the class of Carl Hooper. Man, what a player. The ease with which he batted brought out a kind of awe in all of us, even the senior players. You felt that when Carl went out to bat, they enjoyed it – Haynes, Richards, Greenidge, all these guys would stop what they were doing just to watch him,” Lara shared.
Lara also delves into the psychological challenges Hooper faced, particularly under the intense scrutiny of Viv Richards, which may have impacted Hooper’s performance. He reflects on Hooper’s struggle to recognize his own talent and potential, which was often magnified under Richards’ imposing presence.
“He was so talented, yet he didn’t understand just how good he was. People would ask why he didn’t do full justice to his brilliance, and you know what, there is no clear reason for it. But I will say this: Viv used to make me cry every three weeks, but he would make Carl cry once a week. Viv’s tone of voice is intimidating, and if you’re not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it. I was never really affected by it. In a way, I welcomed it because I was so much under his arm that I knew abuse was coming, and I was a strong personality. Carl? I know for a fact that Carl shied away from Viv Richards,” Lara wrote.