M Beddow: Lara fined UKP 2,000 for missing match (2 Jun 1998)

2 June 1998

Lara fined UKP 2,000 for missing match

By Mike Beddow

BRIAN LARA has been fined UKP 2,000 - about half a week's wages - by Warwickshire for missing Sunday's AXA League match against Somerset.

A three-man disciplinary committee, who met Lara yesterday to consider his late arrival at Taunton, accepted there were 'mitigating circumstances', none of which were revealed in an official statement.

The county's disciplinary measure, seen as a necessary and prompt appeasement to players and supporters, clearly sends the player the message that he is expected to conform to club rules. Also, he is to apologise to the players for missing the match.

There would have been no problem if Lara had kept to an agreed schedule when Warwickshire accepted that he needed to return to Trinidad last week for unspecified business reasons.

The trip coincided with a four-day break for senior professionals. However, Lara extended his stay and was consequently punished for:

• Missing a flight booked by his club which would have brought him back to London on Friday.

• Failing to inform the club of the change.
• Arriving late for the match with Somerset.
• Making himself unavailable for selection as a consequence.

For the sake of harmony, not least among a section of members who were unhappy with Lara's appointment as captain, Warwickshire could not overlook these embarrassing events, especially at the end of a week which began with a two-hour team meeting after two defeats by Nottinghamshire.

One of the topics was believed to be lines of communication between captain and players.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)