Lara pulls out of Zimbabwe tour

Lara

HARARE, (Reuters):

WEST Indies have lost Brian Lara to injury on the eve of their first game in a triangular one-day tournament against hosts Zimbabwe today.

The prolific run-getter pulled out of the tour, which also includes two Tests, because of a right hamstring injury, having been told by a specialist he needed three to six weeks rest.

"I think it is for the betterment of the team, myself and West Indies cricket that I try to get myself fully fit again," Lara said yesterday.

He had come off during Wednesday's match against a Zimbabwe Country Districts side because he felt unable to bat properly and was handicapped in the field.

West Indies have lost their past three Test series but Lara said his absence could act as a spur to his teammates.

"We've got a lot of young players wanting to prove a point," he said. "I think it is an ideal opportunity for them to go ahead and show what they can do."

Zimbabwe have also suffered a major setback with the loss of batsman and wicketkeeper Andy Flower, who withdrew for the entire series because of thumb ligament damage.

Flower played in 172 consecutive one-day internationals for Zimbabwe and will be replaced by 18-year-old Tatenda Taibu.

"It's a big blow to lose someone of Andy's calibre," Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak said. "We have always been lucky that we had someone of his stature as a top-order batsman and also as a wicketkeeper.

"But there is a good blend of youth and experience in the squad and it's good to see some of the young guys such as Travis Friend and Andy Blignaut coming through."

India completed their preparations for the tournament with a 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe A yesterday.

"They are probably the second-best Zimbabwean team," India captain Saurav Ganguly said. "That is the best work-out you can get so you make the most of it."

Looking ahead to the one-day tournament, Ganguly added: "The final game is very important because in the last seven months we have reached the finals of all the tournaments we have played in and lost.

"So we will have to be careful in the final - if we make it."

India lost their last one-day series 3-2 against Australia in India.

But they will be confident against a West Indies side low on morale after a crushing seven-wicket loss to the Country Districts and a Zimbabwe team without much match practice in limited-overs cricket.

Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh 3-0 recently but know they are up against a different class of opposition in this tournament. However, they have their tails up after winning the second Test against India by four wickets and levelling the series at 1-1.

"The confidence after the second Test victory is fantastic," Streak said.

West Indies captain Carl Hooper had little to smile about after his side crumbled against the Country Districts, a team made up largely of part-time cricketers.

West Indies recently suffered a 5-2 loss in a one-day series at home to South Africa and the latest defeat has not helped their efforts to rebuild confidence.

"The batsmen showed very little application and patience and generally it was a poor performance," Hooper said.

"We've had problems in recent years with our batting but I don't think it's any reason to panic at this stage.

"But I don't think we are going to do anything dramatic and I think the batting line-up will stay pretty much the same.

"I think India and Zimbabwe will give us a fair indication of where we are at this moment in world cricket.

"We finished the one-day series off against South Africa on a high by winning at St Vincent and we'll want to continue that here."

Zimbabwe and West Indies met in Australia during the southern-hemisphere summer.

"We know a lot about them," Streak said. "There are a few new names but we respect them as we would any other international side. We have to be prepared for them as it is always hard work at this level."

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