Lara urges West Indies to rally round

Brian Lara has shrugged off any injury concerns surrounding the finger that he dislocated in Jamaica last week, and is fully focused on leading West Indies in one of the most important matches of his career.

I don't think there is any possibility of me sitting out this one," said Lara, who was in obvious discomfort during his second-innings duck at Sabina Park on Sunday, when West Indies were bundled out for their alltime-low total of 47. "There is still some swelling and stiffness in the joint, but I have every intention of playing."

As if Lara needed any further incentive to bat on through the pain, he will be playing in front of his home fans in Trinidad, where he has scored just one of his 24 Test centuries. And with his team needing all the support they can get as they attempt to maintain their 36-year unbeaten home record against England, Lara has called on the fans to rally round West Indies.

"We need the support in times of disappointment, in times of hardship, " said Lara, only days after the West Indies Cricket Board was forced to issue an apology to the Caribbean public, when four players were spotted partying in the immediate aftermath of the Jamaica rout. "We find ourselves with our backs against the wall, and will be fighting back - but we need their support to do so."

While West Indies are in disarray in the build-up to the second Test, England are sitting pretty - one or two bruises notwithstanding. And to make matters more ominous yet for the Windies, one of England's pivotal players has hardly broken sweat so far in the series.

Like the rest of the England team, Andrew Flintoff was overjoyed to watch Steve Harmison, as he tore through West Indies with his record-breaking figures of 7 for 12. But Flintoff was not called on to bowl during the second innings, and is eager to make a bigger impact on the series.

"It was fantastic to see Steve getting all the wickets," said Flintoff, "but it would be nice if I could chip in as well. When I'm bowling I'm always thinking the next Test is going to be mine, but it just doesn't seem to happen. But so long as we're taking 20 wickets a Test, it doesn't really matter who takes them, does it?"

Flintoff did, however, make his mark with a composed 46 with the bat, as well as three fine catches at slip. "The wicket in the last Test was quite nice to take slip catches on with the pace and bounce coming through to you," he said, "and our fielding has probably improved over the last few months or so. Sometimes you get into a run when you're catching things in the slips you just seem to grab everything, but when you start dropping them you can drop everything.

"The wicket here [in Trinidad] is not as fast as it was in Jamaica, and it may go up and down later on. The suggestion is that if you put it in the right areas for a length of time here then the wickets do follow. But Friday is a new game and a new start again for us, and I don't think anyone envisages us bowling West Indies out for less than 50 again. They'll want to put the record straight, and I'm sure they'll come out fighting and try to hit us hard."