5 batsmen who retired just short of a major landmark in Tests

#2 Brian Lara – 11,953 runs

Brian Lara's last Test series was the tour of Pakistan in 2006

One of the greatest to have ever played the game, former West Indies captain Brian Lara left his mark by registering a yet-to-be-broken world record of 400* against England in 2004; before that, he had already amassed 375, also against the same opponents in 1994. As if that were not enough, he holds the record for the highest first-class score by a batsman after having hammered 501* for Warwickshire against Durham just two months after the 375.

With 131 Tests under his belt, Lara's last international series turned out to be the 2007 World Cup, announcing after West Indies' win over Bangladesh that the following dead rubber against England would be his last. The southpaw finished with 11,953 runs, just 47 short of the rare landmark of 12,000, having hit 448 runs in his final Test series against Pakistan in their own backyard in 2006.