Lara to take the field at last

Team officials initially said Lara likely was suffering from hepatitis. West Indies Cricket Board officials have yet to confirm that, and officials have declined to comment on his condition recently.

The cricket board gave its permission to Lara and fellow Trinidadians and World Cup team selections Mervyn Dillon and Darren Ganga to participate in the Pizza Hut Gerry Gomez Memorial North/South Classic held in Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Oval beginning Thursday, De Souza said.

Lara was recently cleared to resume training by a doctor in London and was immediately recalled to the West Indies’ 15 for the World Cup.

No spouses at WC: PCB

Islamabad: Pakistan cricketers will have to leave their wives behind before they leave for the all-important World Cup campaign in South Africa — thanks to a ban to this effect by their cricket board.

Although it is a common practice for senior members of the team to take their wives along on long away tours, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) yesterday said it had decided not to allow its cricketers the luxury this time around.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by PCB chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, a PCB press release here said.

Meanwhile, manager-designate of the Pakistan World Cup squad Shaharyar Khan was given a detailed briefing about the players’ contracts and the code of conduct of the World Cup by the PCB boss at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

General Zia also briefed the manager on the complete scenario of the team in the last couple of years. Khan, a former diplomat and ex-foreign secretary of Pakistan, served as manager of the team during the last World Cup as well as on Pakistan team’s tour to India in 1998.

During the meeting Khan assured he would try to the job to the best of his capabilities. He said he knew 10 of the 15 players from the 1998 tour of India when he was the manager. (PTI)