McGrath ready for personal battle with Lara

After frustrating Lara in the last Test in Antigua last year McGrath got the West Indian out for seven “then he had a go at me”.

“He went to the match referee and reported me for spitting. What eventuated was I got fined … and that bites at me a bit.

“Nobody even noticed it until Brian kicked up a stink. It bites me that he initiated it and that something could come out of basically nothing.”

McGrath has taken Lara’s wicket 10 times in Test cricket but reckons he’s hit him on the helmet more than that.

“You can rest assured I’ll be getting stuck into him again with some short stuff throughout the summer,” said McGrath.

Australia’s first Test against the West Indies starts on November 23 in Brisbane.

WI might take 10 years to rebuild: Sobers
BRISBANE: It could take the West Indies another decade to again become a dominant force in World cricket, Sir Garfield Sobers said on Sunday.The legendary West Indian allrounder, in Australia to commemorate the famous 1960 tied Test between the two countries, predicted Australia would beat the Windies in the five-Test series starting Thursday, but not easily.

“This team (the West Indies) was beaten in England so badly I don’t think they will beat Australia, but they won’t be beaten as badly as some expect them to,” he said, adding that he had no doubt West Indies cricket would rise again.

Meanwhile, Sobers threw his support behind Lara, urging him to forget allegations he had accepted money to under-perform.

“Whatever has been said, he’s not involved,” said Sobers. “He should just forget about it and do whatever he has to do.”

Windies woes continue
MELBOURNE: West Indian captain Jimmy Adams said his beleaguered team needed to break bad habits after another tour disaster against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Sunday.

Just four days out from the opening Test with Australia in Brisbane, the tourists endured a humiliating loss to an under-strength Victoria folding by an innings and 63 runs inside three days.