West Indies legend Brian Lara believes Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) can justify favouritism in this year's Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament provided the team’s pedigree and cohesiveness stand out among their rivals.

Lara’s views came during the launch of his book on Tuesday and ahead of the Trinbago Knight Riders’ almighty clash with reigning champions Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queen's Park Oval on Wednesday.

While noting that the Twin Island Republic’s franchise boasts a deep squad of high-quality players, which makes them favourites, Lara pointed out that it is their performances that will account for whether or not they take home the title this season.

“I think obviously TKR will stand up as favourites every time,” Lara declared.

“When you look at the quality of players in the team, you would think they should go on to win. But again, in the past, we've seen the team that plays better win. It's not how many superstars you have,” he added.

With three wins and one loss so far this campaign, Trinbago Knight Riders currently sit fourth on six points, four points behind leaders Barbados Royals, who have played two games more. St Lucia Kings on eight points and Guyana Amazon Warriors on six points occupy the other playoff positions.

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons (four points) and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (two points) are fifth and sixth, respectively.

Being the only franchise to win the tournament four times—2015 as Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, 2017, 2018, and 2020—Lara is of no doubt that Trinbago Knight Riders can add to their tally.

However, he stressed that it will take more than just talk and quality on paper.

“What we're hoping for with TKR is that togetherness. Individuals may win you a match, but teams win tournaments,” Lara reasoned.

“I'm hoping captain Kieron Pollard will keep the guys together; they work hard, be humble, and get the victory that's necessary,” he noted.

With both the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Guyana Amazon Warriors showing some degree of consistency so far this season, Wednesday’s clash is expected to be a humdinger to kickstart the former’s home leg of fixtures.

England all-rounder Chris Jordan will bolster the Knight Riders bowling attack as he replaces the injured American Ali Khan.

But the Amazon Warriors have also strengthened their bowling attack with the inclusion of Australian leg spinner Nathan Sowter, who temporarily replaces captain Imran Tahir, recovering from an injury.

While having no issues with investing more money in West Indies Test cricket, iconic batsman Brian Lara believes the region’s problems goes much deeper when it comes to the game’s longest format.

In fact, Lara who has never been shy about expressing his views, pointed out that the onus is on Cricket West Indies (CWI) to take the necessary steps to resolve the slippage, as the Caribbean side –ranked eighth in the ICC Test rankings –suffered a crushing innings and 114-run defeat to England inside three days in the first of their three-match series, at Lord’s.  

“If you put 100 million, 200 million dollars into the West Indies’ bank account, is it going to change the way we play the game? I’m not sure. We are not harnessing the talent that we have,” Lara told BBC World Service’s Stumped podcast.

Though the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope possess enough ability to play crucial roles in Test, both have opted to play just white-ball cricket internationally, which enables them to play in franchise leagues across the world.

That along with the fact that other sports, such as athletics, are vying for the sponsorship dollars across the Caribbean, Lara believes has pushed cricket on the outside.

“Obviously, cricket has been diluted by the number of different sports and different opportunities for kids, but I still believe that corporate West Indies have got to get involved,” Lara said.

“The West Indies Cricket Board hasn’t done the right job in attracting these sponsors to ensure that at least grassroots, but also the academy, all the different things, the facilities, are up to standard. I think these things are very, very important,” he added.

On that note, Lara also stressed the need for more to be done to revive public interest in the longer format.

“We don’t have anybody coming through the gate. I walked in Lord’s about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday and outside there were people waiting. That was something I was accustomed to as a kid, getting to the Queens Park Oval at 5:30 and waiting for the gate to be open.

“That’s not happening. You get there at 11 o’clock and there is an empty stadium. You could pick a seat wherever you want. We have to try to get the crowd back,” Lara shared.

“That will breathe the life back into the people of the Caribbean and let them understand what Test cricket is all about and you can get the world of money. You still need to sort of get the crowd more passionate about it and we haven’t been able to do that,” he noted.

West Indies battling legend and former Test captain Brian Lara is optimistic that the Caribbean side’s inexperienced battling line up can stand tall to the demands as much will be required of them in the Three-Test series against England, which bowls of next Wednesday.

In fact, Lara pointed out that a technical and tactical approach will be integral to West Indies chances, especially given the strength of England’s line up, coupled with their aggressive approach and home conditions at Lord’s, which they will relish.

With that in mind, Lara believes the best way to defend against the opponent’s strengths is to take an attacking approach in the field.

“I think more important is how the bowlers and the captain handle it in the field because we have to stay positive. We have to stay aggressive in terms of having attacking fields, having players in attacking positions, because the way they (England) bat, England are going to have you pushing players out on the boundary – which is what they want,” Lara said during a recent interview with Sky Sports.

“You push your deep cover back or your third man back, your deep backward square back, it creates opportunities for them to get singles – four, five singles an over is actually great scoring. We’ve got to be very technical and tactical in terms of how we approach this series,” he added.

Unlike England, who has upped their game in Test cricket to what has been labelled ‘Bazball’ under Head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, West Indies has been quite the opposite.

England’s alteration has resulted in them now playing an attractive brand of aggressive cricket, particularly with the bat.

West Indies, on the other hand, have been more traditional, and Lara is of the view that the regional side should remain on the same path, instead of attempt to adopt England’s style of play.

“I don’t think first of all, as a batting team, that (aggression) is our style, which actually is a little bit of a negative. If you’re going to come up against a side that’s scoring at five and six runs an over and you’re just going to score at 2.5, three runs an over, that in itself is asking for trouble,” Lara reasoned.

“England is playing a style of cricket that is difficult to beat them, coming from behind. We’ve got to get them out cheaply in the first innings to stay in front of the game. If you get behind England – with the pace they play the game at – it’s impossible to get back into the game,” he noted.

Despite the loss of Kemar Roach to a knee injury, Lara, 55, said he is more concerned about the batting.

“I’m not worried too much about Kemar Roach missing out or the bowling attack. I think the bowling attack is pretty formidable,” he declared.

“I think the batting is where the experience is lacking. They’re trying, the batters are trying, but it’s the fact that, how much experience have they had in English conditions. So I’m hoping we can pull through in that department,” Lara ended.

On this day 20 years ago, Brian Lara regained the individual Test score world record on his way to an unbeaten 400 against England in the fourth Test in Antigua.

Ten years after hitting 375 to claim the world record for an individual innings against England at the same venue, Lara exceeded that effort by becoming the first player in history to score 400.

By doing so, he became the first player to hold the individual Test innings record twice.

Lara reclaimed his record from Australian Matthew Hayden, who only six months earlier had broken the record with 380 in Perth in October 2003.

Lara’s mammoth innings steered the West Indies to a total of 751 for five before declaring and reflecting on his achievement, he said: “When I scored it before I didn’t know what to expect – this time it was very tiring, but I’m here again.

“Matthew Hayden must have batted very well against Zimbabwe because it doesn’t matter who you are playing against, it’s very hard.

“It’s a great feeling, but it’s dampened by the series result. Ten years ago the match ended in a draw, but this time we’re looking for a result.”

Upon achieving the record, Lara was greeted in the middle by Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua, while England captain Michael Vaughan hailed Lara as “one of the all-time great players”.

“We all set out to achieve greatness, but he is a gifted, gifted player – throughout his innings we tested him with a few things but he was much better than us for those two days,” Vaughan said.

“He is one of the all-time great players, he has achieved something that has never been achieved before even with the amount of pressure he had on him before the start of this Test.

“He will go down as one of the greats of the game and it will take some player and some performance to beat his 400.”

Mahela Jayawardene went close with 374 for Sri Lanka against South Africa two years later but Lara remains first and third on the list two decades on.

West Indies cricket superstar Chris Gayle will be among a number of legends present at the Celebrity Legends Gala set for Saturday, January 20, in Fort Lauderdale.

The event, set to be held at the Westin Hotel, is being held to celebrate the 75^th birthday of former West Indies batsman Lawrence “Yagga” Rowe.

It will also be used to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Rowe’s 302 against England in Barbados.

“Big shout out to Sir Lawrence “Yagga” Rowe. Triple, triple, triple!” Gayle said in a video on Thursday.

“The Universe Boss will be there. See you guys Saturday. You know it’s a worthy cause so please, grab a ticket and support the cause. I’ll see you guys soon,” he added.

Other West Indian legends including the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers and Brian Lara are also expected to be at Saturday’s event.

Lawrence Rowe played 30 Tests for the West Indies from 1972-1980 and scored 2047 runs at an average of 43.55 with seven hundreds and seven fifties.

West Indies legend Brian Lara has signed on to play in the upcoming T20 Black Clash in New Zealand.

The 54-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history, will join Team Rugby for the match against Team Cricket at Mt Maunganui on January 20, 2024.

Lara's inclusion is a major coup for the organizers of the event, which is a charity match that pits former All Blacks players against former New Zealand cricketers. The T20 Black Clash is a charity match that raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation New Zealand.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of the T20 Black Clash," Lara said. "I've always been a fan of the All Blacks and New Zealand's rugby prowess, so it's an honor to be able to play alongside them."

Lara's batting record is simply staggering. He holds the record for the highest individual score in both Test and first-class cricket, with 400 and 501 runs respectively. He is also the only batsman to have scored 10,000 runs in both formats.

"Brian Lara is one of the greatest cricketers of all time," said event director Carlena Limmer. "He's a true legend of the game, and we're honored to have him playing in the T20 Black Clash."

Team Rugby will be looking to avenge their narrow loss to Team Cricket at Hagley Oval earlier this year. With Lara in their lineup, they will be confident of squaring the series at 3-3.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing against some of the best rugby players in New Zealand," he said. "It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm sure it will be a great event for the fans."

Lara is no stranger to the T20 format. He played in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League in 2013, and he also played in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2016.

"I think the T20 format is a great way to showcase the skills of both batsmen and bowlers," he said. "It's a very exciting game, and I'm sure the fans in New Zealand are going to love it. We have a very good team, and we're all motivated to win," he said. "I'm sure we'll give Team Cricket a good run for their money."

Daniel Vettori has replaced Brian Lara as the head coach of IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Vettori, a former left-arm spinner for New Zealand, was previously head coach at Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2014-2018 and is currently working as the assistant coach with the Australia men's team.

The latest update means Sunrisers will have a fourth head coach in six seasons, with Tom Moody (2019 and 2022), Trevor Bayliss (2020 and 2021), and Lara (2023) preceding Vettori.

Lara had replaced Moody ahead of the 2023 IPL season, but the side finished last (tenth) with four wins and ten losses.

At the moment, Vettori is head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix men's team at the Hundred, and since May 2022, has been with the Australia men's national side. His coaching resume also includes stints with Barbados Royals in the CPL, with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and with Middlesex in the Vitality Blast, all as head coach, and a spell as spin-bowling consultant with the Bangladesh men's national team.

In his previous run as a head coach in the IPL, Vettori helped RCB get into the playoffs in 2015 and the final in 2016 where, incidentally, they lost to Sunrisers.

This is now the third high-profile coaching appointment ahead of the 2024 IPL season, with Justin Langer taking over from Andy Flower at Lucknow Super Giants and Flower later joining RCB in the same role.

Sunrisers have had a lean time of it in the IPL in recent years, perhaps explaining the revolving door for the coaches. Since IPL 2021, they have won only 13 games while losing 29.

From 2016 (when they were champions) to 2020, Sunrisers reached the playoffs every season, but they have failed to replicate that success since. They will now hope to end a three-season streak of finishing outside the top four with the combination of Vettori and captain Aiden Markram at the helm.

West Indies great, Brian Lara, believes India can bring the best out of the West Indies when they square off in a two-match Test series beginning on July 12 in Dominica.

“It’s a young group, ably led by Kraigg Brathwaite, of course, but I feel like some of the guys can really come into their own in this series,” Lara, who is with the team as a performance mentor, said in a CWI interview on Saturday.

“It’s a tough opposition but I believe that’s the way we can get the best out of them,” he added.

The West Indian selectors have started to look to the future in the batting department with the selections of 22-year-old Kirk McKenzie and 24-year-old Alick Athanaze.

Jamaica’s McKenzie earned his selection on the back of some good performances in the inaugural Headley Weekes Tri-Series and in a subsequent A-team tour of Bangladesh.

He had scores of 221 and 50 in the Headley Weekes series and followed those up with scores of 91 and 86 against Bangladesh A.

Athanaze captained the Windward Islands Volcanoes in this season’s West Indies Championship and scored 647 runs in five matches at an average of 64.70 with a pair of hundreds and four fifties.

“They’re both young, capable players. Of course, you’d hope they had a little more experience in the first-class arena but, looking at their style of play and their attitude, I believe they do have what it takes to perform at the highest level,” Lara said.

“It may take some time but, obviously, as an international cricketer, if you’re entering this stage it doesn’t matter what age you enter; you’ve got to learn very quickly and I think they have that sort of attitude to want to learn and be willing to listen. I look forward to good things in the future,” he added.

These matches will mark the start of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle for both teams.

“Obviously, we’ve got two very important Test matches against India that start the two-year cycle for us. We know, whether it’s at home or away from home, they’re one of the top teams in the world,” Lara said.

“I think the guys are moving in the right direction in terms of where we started the camp and where we are at this present moment only a few days out from the first Test match in Dominica,” he added.

The two teams had very different results in the 2021-23 cycle. India, currently the top-ranked Test team in the world, finished the cycle second behind Australia, who they recently lost to in the World Test Championship Final.

On the other hand, the West Indies ended the cycle in eighth, only finishing ahead of Bangladesh.

Former South Africa quick and current Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowling coach Dale Steyn shared an interesting story on how the Proteas helped preserve West Indies legend Brian Lara's record for the highest individual score in Tests.

Notably, Lara recently celebrated the 19th anniversary of the day he scored the historic knock (400*) against England in Antigua in 2004.

Speaking on the franchise’s YouTube channel, Steyn stated that Lara, head coach of SRH, got nostalgic about his record innings.

He further revealed the chain of events on how Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene was on the verge of breaking the historic record in a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2006.

"I literally just looked at him (Brian Lara) and said, 'You're welcome. You still have your record due to South Africa’. Mahela (Jayawardene) and (Kumar) Sangakkara are batting together, Sangakkara is on strike. We never sniffed a wicket in that entire time,” Steyn said.

“At Tea on day three, we'd been fielding for two and a half days in the sun. Ashwell (Prince, who was captain on the tour) and the South Africans all get together and our team talk was not about how we're gonna draw or win this game. Mahela was on 370 somewhere and we just said, 'We need to do anything possible to make sure he didn't break Brian Lara’s record,” he added.

As the Sri Lankan closed in on the record, South Africa somehow managed to dismiss him just 26 runs short. 

"We come out of tea. Andre Nel is the bowler. And I’ve been fielding at mid-off for most of this game. I’d seen everything happen in this game at mid-off. I think he had run every milestone to me. I think he just blocked the ball and ran to me at this point,” shared Steyn.

“Nel ran in, he dragged one short, it was halfway down the pitch. I basically looked at the square leg because the bulk of the time that was where the ball was going. And for some crazy weird reason this ball didn’t get higher than ankle height and it castled Mahela’s stumps and we got him out for 374", he concluded.

While Lara’s 400* is still intact, Jayawardene’s 374 remains the fourth-highest individual score in Test history.

Meanwhile, Lara, who has scores of 400* and 375, features in the top-four list twice, whereas Matthew Hayden's 380-run knock against Zimbabwe in 2003 is the second-highest individual score in Test history.

The Sydney Cricket Ground unveiled a set of gates named after legends Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara on Monday.

According to ESPNCricinfo, April 24 was selected as the date to unveil the gates to mark Tendulkar's 50th birthday as well as the 30^th anniversary of Lara's 277 at the SCG, his first Test century, though that Test was played in January 1993.

"The Sydney Cricket Ground has been my favourite ground away from India," Tendulkar said in a statement released by Cricket Australia.

"I have had some great memories at the SCG right from my first tour of Australia in 1991-92. It is a great honour to have the gates used by all visiting cricketers to access the field of play at the SCG named after me and my good friend Brian," he added.

"I'm deeply honoured to be recognised at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as I'm sure Sachin is,” Lara said.

“The ground holds many special memories for me and my family and I always enjoy visiting whenever I'm in Australia," Lara added.

That innings of 277 remained Lara's highest at the SCG. He totalled 384 runs at the ground in four Tests overall while Tendulkar had an average of 157 at the SCG, scoring 785 runs in five Tests over the years with three centuries, including a memorable 241 not out in January 2004.

The statement also outlines that the gates will be used by visiting players to access the field.

On hand to unveil the gates were SCG and Venues NSW Chairman Rod McGeoch AO, and CEO Kerrie Mather, as well as Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.

"Sachin Tendulkar's record at the SCG is simply remarkable, while Brian Lara's maiden Test century remains one of the most celebrated innings by a visiting player," Mather said.

"Both players continue to hold a deep affection for the SCG and they remain hugely popular whenever they visit Sydney."

"As the cricketing world celebrates Sachin Tendulkar's 50th birthday, this is a fitting and timely gesture by the SCG to recognise Sachin and Brian Lara as two legends of the international game with exceptional records at the SCG,” said Hockley.

"Their feats will no doubt be an inspiration to not only visiting international teams, but all players fortunate enough to walk onto the hallowed turf of the Sydney Cricket Ground, for generations to come."

Arjun Tendulkar tasted victory on his IPL debut as superstar father Sachin sang the praises of Mumbai Indians' new opening bowler.

The young Tendulkar made a century on his first-class debut for Goa against Rajasthan in December, and the 23-year-old chalked up another career landmark when he made his bow on the T20 big stage on Sunday.

It came in an impressive five-wicket win for Mumbai over Kolkata Knight Riders, with Tendulkar playing what was ultimately a minor role in the team's success.

He delivered the first over of the match and finished with 0-17 from two overs, before Mumbai's batting meant he was not required to play an active role in the run chase.

Proud dad Sachin Tendulkar wrote on Twitter: "Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back.

"You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best!"

Sachin Tendulkar played 78 matches in the IPL, scoring 2,334 runs at an average of 34.84 and twice topping 550 runs in a season.

He is widely regarded as India's greatest cricketer and holds the record for the most Test runs, scoring 15,921 in 200 matches in the longest format.

Long-time West Indies rival Brian Lara also celebrated the arrival of another Tendulkar in the IPL, posting a message of "Congrats" on Instagram alongside a picture of himself and a much younger Arjun.

Lara is coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, who happen to be Mumbai's next opponents, with that game scheduled for Tuesday.

Brian Lara is the greatest batsman the West Indies has ever produced. The 53-year-old Trinidadian terrorized bowling attacks all around the world from 1990 all the way to his last game for the regional side against England in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

During that span, Lara scored 11,953 runs in 131 Tests at an average of 52.88 including 34 hundreds and 48 fifties, the biggest of those hundreds coming at the Antigua Recreation Ground against England in 2004 when he scored a world record 400*.

His ODI numbers were equally impressive as he scored 10,405 runs in 299 matches at an average of 40.48 with 19 hundreds and 63 fifties.

Now, Lara hopes to give back to West Indies cricket as a member of the support staff of the senior Men’s team.

Before the team’s ongoing Test series against South Africa, Lara joined the coaching staff as a performance mentor.

Lara described the feeling of wearing the West Indies colors again in an interview with Cricket West Indies on Thursday.

“These are the colors that made me who I am today. It’s a different set of emotions. I remember several years back when I was a youngster living out my dream spending 17 years plying my trade in these very colors,” he said.

“Now, it’s a bit different being a member of staff, looking at present day players and trying to implement a style of play and a philosophy of the game that was successful in the past. I feel that, in time, we will see the benefits of this,” he added.

The former West Indies captain also described what his role will be with the team moving forward.

“I think it’s pretty simple. We have to improve our performances and not just sporadically, we have got to do it on a consistent level and I’m not going to pretty it up. That is what I’m here to do as a performance mentor; to get the players to play better cricket more consistently and to get the West Indies back competitive with the best cricket playing countries in the world,” Lara said.

West Indies icon Brian Lara has agreed to take on the role of CWI as a Performance Mentor – working across all international Teams and with input into the West Indies Academy, Cricket West Indies announced on Thursday.

Lara’s new role will be to support the various head coaches in providing players with tactical advice and improving their game sense, as well as working closely with the director of cricket on ICC World Cup Tournament strategic planning.

“I am really looking forward to Brian making a significant contribution to our cricket system by providing invaluable guidance and advice to our players and coaches,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.  “We are confident that Brian will help to improve our high-performance mindset and strategic culture that will bring us more success on the field across all formats.  Everyone is excited to have Brian involved in supporting our players.”

Meanwhile, Lara believes he can make a difference in his new role as performance mentor.

“Having spent time with the players and coaches in Australia and in discussions with CWI, I really believe that I can help the players with their mental approach to the game and with their tactics to be more successful,” he said.

“I'm looking forward to joining the group in Zimbabwe and the opportunity to work with other West Indies teams later in the year."

Lara’s first assignment will be with the West Indies Test squad.  He has joined the Test squad in Zimbabwe where he will assist in the team’s preparations ahead of the first Test Match in Bulawayo on 4 February 2023.

Brian Lara and Chris Gayle will headline several legends who will take part in the first ever RESI Legends T20 game at the Treasure Beach Sports Park in St. Elizabeth on January 15.

The game is being put on by former West indies fast bowler Daren Powell, who is the founder of RESI Legends and will also be playing in the game.

The day’s festivities will kick off at 9:00 am with a match between the St. Elizabeth All Stars and the Manchester All Stars before Lara’s XI and Gayle’s XI square off in the marquee event.

Gayle and Lara will be joined by the likes of Jerome Taylor, Krishmar Santokie, Wavell Hinds, Robert Haynes, Nehemiah Perry, Nikita Miller and Delroy Morgan.

Powell, speaking SportsMax.TV, said that the participation of international players like Sulieman Benn, Daren Ganga, Dave Mohammed, Dwayne Smith, Kirk Edwards, Devendra Bishoo and Narsingh Deonarine was not yet confirmed as he is still seeking sponsorship from airlines to fly them to Jamaica for the event.

Powell, who represented the West Indies in 37 Tests, 55 ODIs and five T20Is from 2002-2009, wants the match to “reignite cricket in the parish of St. Elizabeth,” before emphasizing that the focus of the event is cricket, not charity.

“It’s a cricket event, a legends cricket event that we are putting on. Normally in my life whatever I do, from when I was playing for the West Indies, I contribute to my past school and assist people who need it. In this situation, I’m playing cricket to bring back life to me and life to St. Elizabeth and, in so doing, if there is support from the public and corporate Jamaica, if there so be a case that I can contribute to any entity, I will. My main focus is about cricket.”

He also spoke extensively about the presence of Brian Lara, calling it an opportunity for the development of the parish in more areas than just cricket.

“I thought I was putting on a Cricket match but ever since Brian Lara’s name has been mentioned in it, I have seen whereas it is more than just cricket. It’s about sports tourism also. It’s a good thing for the hoteliers and workers in the parish. It is something that can bear fruit and every entity in Jamaica can benefit from; tourism, sports and locals.”

“Once this game can go off successfully, hopefully we’ll have another one a year from now.”