Lara Blazing
Perth - Brian Lara let his bat - and an Australian Cricket Board (ACB) official - do the talking for him yesterday
08-Nov-2000
Perth - Brian Lara let his bat - and an Australian Cricket Board (ACB)
official - do the talking for him yesterday. The star left-handed
batsman has advisedly kept his silence following allegations in
India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report last week that he
took money from a bookmaker to underperform in matches back in 1994.
And yesterday he stroked 108 off 107 balls in the first match of the
West Indies' Australian tour against an ACB Chairman's team at Lilac
Hill, a Perth suburb.
He and opener Sherwin Campbell, who batted through the innings' 50
overs for an unbeaten 111, added 163 off 27.1 overs as the West Indies
piled up 276 for two.
The bowling comprised of mainly Western Australian second team players
and retired Test left-arm fast bowler Mike Whitney, now 41.
A rainstorm that swept the ground as the West Indies innings ended
deprived the large crowd of any more cricket and the new West Indies
bowlers their first chance of getting acclimatised.
Lara did not speak directly to the media afterwards but passed his
thoughts on through an ACB official.
'It's been a tough week but everything will come to fruition
eventually, I hope,' Lara told the official.
'I have responsibilities to West Indies cricket not to let other
things affect me so I'll just put on the blinkers and go out and do my
best by getting runs,' he added.
'Today was good. I hit the ball well. Now I have to get set to play a
longer innings in the four-day match against Western Australia
starting Thursday.'
Lara came to the wicket in the 21st over after Campbell and 21-yearold Daren Ganga added 87 for the opening partnership.
Ganga, who is on his third West Indies tour, played impressively for
43 off 52 balls. He stroked six fours, mainly in front of the wicket,
before he was bowled by 20-year-old left-arm pacer Steve Nikitaras.
Lara, in his first innings since the England tour on September 4,
started so cautiously that he scored only two runs off his first 20
deliveries.
After that, he hit the ball cleanly and confidently, reaching his 50
from 52 balls and his 100 from 97.
By the time he was caught in the deep off Jo Angel, the 32-year-old
former Australian Test fast bowler, he had 11 fours and three sixes in
his column in the scorebook.
'This start was very significant for us,' Lara noted. 'We are looking
to get the team back on a good footing.
'We need to be competitive so even a good performance in a festival
game is a boost,' he said.