West Indies legend Brian Lara has backed beleaguered Australian captain Michael Clark, asking him to focus on Test cricket and prolong his career in the face of a hamstring injury threatening to sideline him this summer.
Lara, who met Clarke first time in the back of a taxi and asked the Australian if he was a reporter, revealed that Clarke is special and still has a lot to offer.
Lara is hoping that Clarke can get over it quickly, adding that injury is something he was lucky to not suffer too much from. He said that he had a few knocks about the body, Stuff.co.nz reported.
The West Indies great believes that Clarke's still got a lot of cricket to play, adding that the Australian's only 33. But, he added that Clarke would need to fashion a career that suits his fitness.
Lara said that he knows Clarke loves the longer version of the game, which isn't as strenuous as running around in a T20 or 50-over game. Hopefully, he added that the Australian can be fit for the World Cup.
Lara and Clarke have been close friends since 2003, when Clarke was called into the Australian test squad to replace the injured Damien Martyn.
That West Indies side, featuring the likes of Lara, Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson and Curtly Ambrose, is a distant memory compared with the shambolic state of the game in the Caribbean.
It sunk to a new low last month when the tour of India was aborted because of a pay dispute. Lara backed his country to survive a potential lawsuit worth upwards of 75 million dollars from India's BCCI, but laments the West Indies' current standing.
He said that they are a laughing stock at present, adding that it is very unfortunate. He claimed that the real problem is communication, adding the he won't point fingers.
Lara said that he is very biased towards players, because he was a player and he has experienced relationships in the past with the West Indies Cricket Board and knows what they're like.
He said that there is no communication and it escalates into something disastrous, adding that communication is something he has never experienced with the West Indies Cricket Board, as a captain and as a player.
Lara added that he suspects it's the same thing that's going on at the moment.
