St John's, Apr 16: West Indies skipper Brian Lara looks certain to miss the first two one-day internationals against England because of a finger injury. Lara has been advised to rest for ten days to recover from a fracture to the little finger on his right hand which he hurt in the first test in Jamaica.
Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan will lead the side in Lara's absence, with Sunday's opening game of the seven-match series taking place in Guyana. A West Indies Cricket Board statement said Lara had suffered persistent pain which forced him to seek medical attention during the final day of the fourth test in Antigua, which ended in a draw yesterday.
Lara regained his world test batting record with an unbeaten 400 in the fourth test, but his team still lost the series 3-0. Lara could return to play in the third one-day game in his home island of Trinidad on April 25.
Bureau Report