England beware, Lara's coming!

England beware, Lara's coming!
Adriel Richard

BRIDGETOWN, MAY 12: Convinced ideal arrangements had been put in place to handle his ailing mother Pearl, family and friends coerced Brian Lara into making this summer's visit to England with West Indies. The world awoke on Thursday to hear Lara had extended his self-imposed exile from international cricket to the tour to England starting in three weeks and he was looking to retire from the game which has made him into a star.

When Mike Findlay, chairman of the West Indies selection panel, announced at a news conference here on Thursday that Lara would be paying another visit to England, the room was in complete shock. Findlay, a former West Indies wicketkeeper, explained however, Lara's decision to make the tour came "late in the midnight hour" after consultation with people close to him and his family.

"We met in Guyana on Tuesday to select the squad and Brian had visited his mother a few days before and thought she looked a little weaker and was concerned," Findlay said. "I think that must have prompted his decision on the spur of the moment to make himself unavailable for the tour of England," added Findlay, who along with Joel Garner, Joey Carew, coach Roger Harper and captain Jimmy Adams form the selection panel.

Findlay outlined that Lara had subsequent discussions with people close to him and late on Wednesday, an official of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board informed him that the gifted left-hander was willing to go.

"I immediately contacted Brian, he explained the circumstances to me and gave the assurance he was fully committed to the tour," Findlay said. "Brian told me he was prepared to get himself physically ready and to practice between now and the time of the tour, and he was fully committed once again to West Indies cricket," he added.

Left-hander Lara, who holds world records for the highest individual Test and first-class scores, has not played international cricket since returning from the ill-starred tour of New Zealand in January. Under his leadership, West Indies lost both Tests and all five limited-overs internationals in New Zealand and Lara resigned from the post of captain and then withdrew from home series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. Repeatedly throughout the home series, his successor Jimmy Adams has called for Lara to return to the side and likened him to 'a brother'.

Lara is one of two additions to the squad of 14 picked for the opening Test of the on-going home series against Pakistan in Georgetown that will form the England tour party. The other is fast bowler Corey Collymore. There are sure to be some long faces in the England dressing room with the news that Lara is paying another visit to the home of the game.

England have not won a series either at home or away to West Indies in more than 30 years and a brittle West Indies batting line-up, weakened by the absence of Lara, would have afforded them a great chance to make amends. In 17 Tests, Lara has scored 1,980 runs against England at an average of 79.20 including a world record 375 in St. John's, Antigua, six years ago.

On the last tour to England five years ago, he hit centuries in each of the last three Tests of the six-match series and finished with 765 runs at an average of 85.00. Once again, he will be called upon to shoulder the batting and help to restore the West Indies's reputation in the game.