Lara returns tomorrow

PORT-OF-SPAIN - Star batsman Brian Lara returns to competitive cricket tomorrow when he turns out for North team against the South in the annual Pizza Hut Gerry Gomez Memorial North/South Classic at Queen's Park Oval. It will be the first match for the double world record holder since falling ill after making a century in September while participating in the Champions Trophy after in Sri Lanka.

"It's a cricketing decision really Lara hasn't played for three months, he has been practising `yes', but it makes sense for him to get the necessary match practice," president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Wes Hall was quoted as saying yesterday.

"Mervin Dillon has only recently been declared fit and he too needs the match practice. Daren Ganga, is the thirdplayer involved, they (the organisers) asked and we decided to grantpermission," added Hall, who suggested the players should arrive in Antigua early on Monday and would not miss much of the camp.

The WICB gave permission to Lara and fellow Trinidadian and World Cup player Dillon and reserve Ganga to participate in the match and miss the first day ofthe West Indies World Cup camp in Antigua. Dillon is recovering from a lower back injury.

Lara was recently cleared to resume training by a doctor in London and was immediately recalled to the West Indies' 15 for the World Cup in South Africa, which begins next month.

North - Imran Jan (captain), Mervyn Dillon, Dwayne Bravo, Brian Lara, Lendl Simmons, Lincoln Roberts, Navin Chan, Aneil Kanhai, Zaheer Ali, Asif Jan, Ricardo Paty, Reyad Emrit, Seve Fraser, Kyron Lynch.

South - Daren Ganga (captain), Andy Jackson, Denzil James, Kenton Thompson, Gregory Mahabir, Shazam Babwah, Denesh Ramdin, Dave Mohammed, Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Black, Dinanath Ramnarine, Mukesh Persad, Theodore Modeste.