da prosport bet： Chairman of selectors Michael Findlay has strongly defendedthe inclusion of Brian Lara in the West Indies team for theforthcoming tour of Sri Lanka in spite of a lingeringhamstring injury
Tony Cozier25-Oct-2001Chairman of selectors Michael Findlay has strongly defendedthe inclusion of Brian Lara in the West Indies team for theforthcoming tour of Sri Lanka in spite of a lingeringhamstring injury.He said yesterday he and other members of the panel wouldnot stand condemned for failing to give one of the bestbatsmen in the Caribbean and one of the best in the worldevery assistance we could in sorting out his problems,whether they are mental or physical.What appears to some people as us leaning on the side ofBrian Lara is not that at all, he added.Brian still has a future in West Indies cricket and can makea significant contribution to West Indies cricket, Findlaysaid on Starcom Network radio here.We, as selectors, therefore felt we had to explore all thepossibilities for his participation (in the tour), heexplained.We’re not bending over backwards for him. If he had certainconcerns, we tried to work them out.Lara was picked in the 16 for the tour that starts inNovember in spite of a hamstring problem that has botheredhim since June, 2000, on the tour of England and that causedhim to abandon the tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya last June.Team manager Ricky Skerritt acknowledged on Monday that Larawas not 100 per cent fit but, following extensive tests overfour days, said his fitness level seems to be adequate forhis particular requirements on tour.