Of those who responded to the question, “Who is the greatest West Indies batsman of all time”, 38 per cent voted for Lara, who gained worldwide fame for his expert batting skills in a career that saw him average 52.88 runs in Test matches with a total of 11,953 runs in the Test game.

The 45-year-old made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1990 and bowed out of Test cricket with a final appearance against the same opposition 16 years later in 2006.

Perhaps it was name recognition that set Lara apart from the other leading contenders in the poll, for left-handed batsman, born in Trinidad and Tobago, is certainly one of the best known names in West Indies cricket.

In joint-second place in the poll were Viv Richards and Garfield Sobers, who both claimed 25 per cent of the vote.

Richards, known as the Master Blaster, made his Test debut in 1974 against India and played his last Test game versus England in 1991, while amassing a total of 8,540 runs in his Test career at an average of 50.23.

Sobers managed slightly fewer runs over his Test career with 8,032, but managed an average of 57.78 – better than both Lara and Richards.

Nicknamed as simply Gary, Sobers played his first Test game in 1954 against England and bowed of the Test game 20 years later against the same opponents.

The only current player featured in the poll was Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who only mustered 13 per cent of the vote, while the oldest player on the poll Everton Weekes did not get one vote, probably a reflection of him belonging to a completely different era.

Ironically, Weekes has the highest Test average of all those on the poll, with an incredible 58.61 runs over 48 Test games.