MUMBAI, India (CMC):

FORMER WEST Indies captain and batting superstar Brian Lara touched down on Sunday and his first stroke was to make a clarion call for recognition of the controversial Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Lara ended much speculation when he arrived in India as the most high-profile recruit of the ICL which has failed to receive official sanction from the Indian board which has threatened players with lengthy bans.

"The reaction from the established cricket bodies was along the expected lines but I was still disappointed," he said.

"The problems faced by the ICL are similar to those faced by Sir Allen Stanford when he came up with his idea in the West Indies which has now been accepted by the West Indies board.

"The intentions are quite honourable and I hope down the line people (official cricket bodies) will understand what this league is about and accept it," he said. Lara, Test cricket's highest runscorer and holder of records for the highest Test and first-class innings, is looking forward to the start of the ICL in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh on Friday.

Committed to the ICL

"I could not come earlier because of some personal things which needed to be sorted out, but I have always been committed to play in the ICL after signing up in June," Lara said at a news conference staged at the Western Railway stadium.

"I am looking forward to playing in the league with the Mumbai Champs team (which he will be leading). I would love to play alongside the young players from India who may not have had the opportunity to play with me and other international players.

"Twenty20 is a very exciting game and is fun. It has given the authorities a chance to take the game to places not familiar with cricket."

Lara will join England's Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Darren Maddy and Vikram Solanki, Pakistan's Inzamam-ul Haq, Sri Lanka's Maravan Atapattu and New Zealand's Chris Cairns in playing in the six-team rebel league.

The league is fronted by India legend Kapil Dev and bankrolled by Zee Telefilms media organisation, but the International Cricket Council, cricket's world governing body, has also refused to acknowledge the competition.