Lara the best man at pal’s wedding

The quiet ceremony, which took place at the St James Parish Church on the island’s west coast, was attended by several former Barbados and West Indies players.

"This is the best day of my life, better than my playing days," Browne, the former Barbados captain and West Indies wicketkeeper, said after the ceremony.

The beaming bride in an off-the shoulder white gown noted: "I’m on cloud 99. he’s the man of my dreams."

Browne, who turned 35 last week, made a sudden exit from the game at the end of October. He said at the time he left the game to concentrate on his personal life and job commitments. His finest moment came in September 2004 when he and Ian Bradshaw led West Indies as the team beat England by two wickets in London to win the International Cricket Council’s Champions Trophy.

It was the first major international tournament win for West Indies since the 1979 World Cup.

Lara had only returned home from Australia on Thursday, from the West Indies tour of Australia where he became the leading batsman in the history of Test cricket.

He made 226 against Australia in the third and final Test to move to 11 204 runs, ahead of Allan Border of Australia on 11 174 runs.

Asked about his wedding date, the 36-year-old Lara gave a boyish grin and said: "Maybe soon, who knows." He however declined to discuss cricket.