Lara opts out of final tour match

Brian Lara has decided to sit out the three-day tour match against Sri Lanka A at Shenley to give himself a breather before the first Test, which starts on Thursday (July 22). Lara hit 113 against the MCC at Arundel in the last tour match, but has been suffering from flu, which forced him to cut that innings short.

Ramnaresh Sarwan took over the captaincy in Lara's absence, and also opened the batting in place of Chris Gayle, who is also being rested. Sylvester Joseph has been drafted into the team to fill Lara's position in the middle order, and Tino Best has replaced Pedro Collins as the third specialist fast bowler.

The Sri Lanka A side, which includes future stars such as Ian Daniel and Kaushal Lokuarachchi, has won all seven of its tour matches so far.