Lara stands down and contemplates eye surgery

Brian Lara has asked not to be considered for the captaincy of Trinidad and Tobago. His involvement with West Indies in Kenya for the ICC Trophy means he will miss part of the competition anyway, so he has stepped down from the position he has held since 1994. Lara has assured the Trinidad and Tobago board that he will be available to play under the new captain when his West Indies duties are over.

In a separate development Lara has spoken of the decision he has to make regarding his sight. He attracted speculation this summer when he often batted in sunglasses, and admitted to a growth on an eyeball that meant he should avoid direct sunlight.

Lara is now told that a cure is possible, but the recuperation period would take him out of cricket for several months.

"Specialists have told me there is an operation to cure it completely," Lara told The Mail On Sunday, "but the recovery period is six months at least. At the moment I am going to carry on using the medication and sunglasses, and try and stay out of bright sunlight if I can."

"It's not an ideal situation," he continued, "I don't think it affects my vision as such, but on occasion I have trouble sighting the ball against certain backgrounds. If it gets worse I'll take their (the surgeons) advice, because my aim is to have a long term future in the game."

Lara is committed to playing in the ICC Trophy in Kenya next month, and is then sure to be part of the tour party to Australia. With the recent retirement of Ambrose, and Walsh's future still uncertain, West Indies will be even more keen that Lara should be in top form. He denied that the eye complaint had in any way affected his form in England.