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News

Lara hungry for more success

In what must sound like bad news to bowlers all over the world, Brian Lara has announced that he is ready to devote his entire attention to cricket

Wisden Cricinfo staff
20-Jul-2003
In what must sound like bad news to bowlers all over the world, Brian Lara has announced that he is ready to devote his entire attention to cricket. In an interview to The Mail on Sunday, Lara spelt out how his attitude towards the game had changed over the years.
"In the past I often reacted to what I perceived to be the stresses of cricket by getting away from it and hanging out with friends. Instead of confronting problems, I would turn my back on them. Now I've realised I want to give cricket 100%," he said. "I want to talk cricket like I did as a teenager, like the time I tried to sit Viv Richards down in the dressing room on my first tour to England and got told off for my trouble."
Lara stated that while the personal milestones remained, he was more keen to see the West Indian team develop into world-beaters. "I still have goals. I still want to look up and see my name but my main aim now is that I want to see West Indies moving on. It's great on the one hand to be doing what's necessary to represent my talent, but the bigger picture of wanting to do well is that, on my exit, we'll have a team capable of challenging the best."
Expressing his delight at the progress of the youngsters in the team, Lara hoped that West Indies would put in a strong performance in the 2007 World Cup, which will be held at home. "I'm looking forward to the two series with England next year and beyond. I'm having fun and a good group of younger players is really developing now. As long as things continue to go well for me when the World Cup comes to the Caribbean in 2007, a fit Brian Lara just looking on is not something I would want to happen."
Looking back over the years, Lara admitted that the road hadn't always been as smooth. "Sure, the relationship has been stormy at times. There have been some rocky moments. I've made some small mistakes and I've made some big mistakes. There have been times, like when I quit the captaincy or when we were being taken apart in Australia on the last tour there when I asked myself 'Do I need all this?' when I felt I wanted to just run away from it all.
"But right now, as far as my cricket is concerned, I am back in love with it. I've gone through a great learning experience and come out of it all a more mature and tolerant person. It has been a long road back but what I have come to realise is that I am in a much better mood when I give the game my all. When the pressure was at its greatest I used to tell myself something which has haunted me ever since. I used to say: 'Cricket has ruined my life'."