Lara to Bravo: Go out, make a name for yourself

Darren Bravo's room was plastered with photos of his cousin and cricketing idol Brian Lara when he was child.

Yesterday, as the Trinidadian carved his own piece of West Indies cricket history with 210 not out against New Zealand in the first test in Dunedin, his hero and batting great received a big chunk of the plaudits.

''After the first day of the match he [Lara] messaged me to find out what the score was. He said it was very important that I go out there and make a name for myself, let the world get to know the true Darren Bravo,'' he said.

''As a kid growing up, whenever Brian's photo was in the  newspaper or a magazine I would cut it out and stick it up all over my  room. Everything I wanted was to be just like Brian. I look up to him a  lot. He has been there for me ever since and that's something I hold  very close to my heart.''

And when Bravo rumbled past 150, Lara  was following his progress in the middle of the night in London, and  tweeted: ''Keep it going DMBravo''.