Devastated Lara can’t meet Mandela

West Indies captain Brian Lara was a devastated man yesterday when he realised that time had run out on him and he couldn’t meet with former South African president Nelson Mandela, who is currently in Trinidad. Lara’s former principal at Fatima College Clive Pantin was given the duty to seek a release for the star batsman to make a trip to Trinidad and Tobago to visit Mandela, but was unsuccessful. Pantin said: “I spoke to Teddy Griffith (WICB president) and he said there was a team to pick and there was no guarantee Lara would be back in (St Lucia) in time.” Griffith said it was too close to the one-day match scheduled to begin this morning. Had Lara been allowed to return to Trinidad, he would have arrived yesterday morning.
Pantin added: “Brian was very disappointed.”

When contacted yesterday Lara said: “I am really devastated that I could not be there at the Piarco International Airport to welcome my hero, Nelson Mandela.” It was reported that on arrival at the airport, Mandela asked: “Where is Lara?” “I could not come because of the fact that I had to sit in to select the team for the one-day international tomorrow. I am truly disappointed that I could not be in my homeland to meet this great man, but I also have to look after my team.” Lara met Mandela for the first time when he was president of South Africa in 1993 when the West Indies toured South Africa for the Total Cup series. Since then, he has proved to be an inspiration to the man who recently regained his world record batting title. Lara scored 400 not out against England in the fourth and final Test at Antigua.