Lara praises God for record

Newly named Ambassador of Sport, Brian Charles Lara said yesterday that on the morning before he broke the world record he knelt at his bedside and prayed to God for guidance. And this he duly received when he went on to score 400 not out against England and reclaim his world standard set almost ten years ago at the same Antigua Recreation Ground in St John’s. The world record was overhauled last October by Australian Matthew Hayden against Zimbabwe. Lara was speaking yesterday at a gala reception at the Piarco International Airport planned by Government to honour his achievement of more than a week ago.

“On the morning of the third day of the match I got up, and although the ground in the hotel room was hard, I knelt and prayed to God for guidance,” the Trinidadian left-hander said. “When I got up I felt light and in control and not nervious as I felt in 1994 when I just wanted to get the remaining 46 runs as quickly as possible. I knew that once I did the footwork the man above would take me to my goal,” Lara told the massive crowd and dignitaries at the function in the carpark of the airport. Prime Minister Patrick Manning made public three gifts to Lara and another was to be announced last night at a function on the Brian Lara Promenade.

The three gifts are $400,000 worth of travel from BWIA, the rebuilding of the Brian Lara Recreation Gound at Santa Cruz to international standard, and that Lara will be made an Ambassador to the region. “Lara is the best cricketer in the Caribbean, he is the best cricketer in the Western Hemisphere, the best cricketer in the world and I am sure if cricket is played in Mars and Jupiter his would still be the best cricketer in the Universe,” said PM Manning yesterday. Lara expressed his thanks to all those who helped him along the way but said he deeply misses his father, now deceased, who passed away in 1990. He spoke of his relationship with West Indies selector Joey Carew at whose home he stayed in his formative years.

“I went to San Juan Secondary for one year and was shifted to Fatima College where I formed an alliance with the Carew family. They lived just a few hundred yards from school and they taught me a lot about cricket and life, I must thank them. As you know Joey is a West Indian selector and when I am in trouble, I am sure he stands up for me.” Lara’s daughter Sydney who greeted him with a red rose at the VIP section of the airport was in all her glee as she watched on during the programme. Lara turned to her and said: “I am a traveling sportsman and I must thank Sydney’s mother Leasel Rovedas for the excellent job she is doing to bring up our daughter. It is hard for her to be a single parent bringing up Sydney and I truly thank her. To Sydney I love you,” he said to cheers from the crowd.

Lara said he loved his country and wants the people to know that there was a lesson in his performance. “When faced with adversity, you have to find that inner strength and that will take you through.” Lara arrived in Trinidad at 1.15 pm in the company of fellow West Indian players Ridley Jacobs, Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul. He was met in the VIP section by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, his wife Hazel, his family and members of the Cabinet.

Soon after Lara was taken via a motorcade along the Eastern Main Road and into downtown Port-of-Spain where another reception was held for him on the Brian Lara Promenade. Today he will meet with Chagunas Mayor Surujrattan Rambachan, then travel to San Fernando for a call on Mayor Ian Atherly, and then to Penal where he will meet Dr Allen Sammy at the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation.