Story ProgressBack to home
Win to herald new era: Lara
West Indies captain Brian Lara hoped the Champions Trophy win will herald a new era for his nation.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:07 AM IST
Read Time:3 min
London:
West Indies captain Brian Lara kept his emotions in check in an overwhelming moment at the Oval on Saturday. But he hoped the title triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy would herald another great era for the Caribbean team in international cricket. "In 1975 when we won the World Cup, it began our great days in both Tests and one-day cricket. I hope it's the foundation of another beginning," said Lara after his side stunned England by two-wickets in the Champions Trophy final. Lara would not be drawn into any personal introspection, whether it was the greatest win of his career or if his own effort in the field played a big part in team's win. "There have been many personal highs in my career - the one-run win in Adelaide, the win over South Africa in 1992. But in terms of the battering we have received from everyone in the past few months and then doing it against England who smashed us in seven of the eight Tests is pretty special." Team effort Lara, who played a prominent part in the field with a run-out and three catches -- the first of which got rid of Andrew Flintoff was something special -- praised the teammates for pulling off a sensational win with just seven balls to go. "In terms of importance it was major but I would rather mention the great team effort. It was a better West Indian team in the middle. It is 11 players who perform in the field," Lara said. The 35-year-old could have been touring England for the last time in his playing career and if so was the case the great left-handed batsman said he was pretty happy to end on a high note. "I don't know if it is the last time. If it is then it is a great end on a high note." He wanted the cricket public to applaud the performance of Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne who put on 71 runs for the unbroken ninth wicket. Bradshaw man of the match "It's been great for them since I don't think I have seen Ian bat even in the nets. The thing to remember is that both of them are from Barbados and have played together for many seasons. Both of them are very experienced. "This is the thing about this side - experience. We brought in quite a few senior players for this tournament and it has made a difference." Bradshaw, the man of the match for his two wickets and decisive 35 not out, said it was the biggest moment of his life. "I just wanted to support Courtney. When the light was offered to us, I didn't want to go out since we had the momentum. I spoke to Courtney and he said the same," Bradshaw said. Vaughan praises England skipper Michael Vaughan was equally effusive about the ninth wicket pair and said more than discrediting the home side players, the credit should be given to the two West Indian tailenders. "Trescothick had a marvelous hundred and we reduced them to 147 for eight. But they batted most sensibly and didn't give a chance. Their partnership was the major difference." Vaughan conceded he had known little about the two West Indians but admired them for the way they handled Steve Harmison in the death overs. "We knew only a little bit about them. But they were outstanding. It is difficult to face Harmison in bright daylight. But they were facing his 90 mph deliveries with confidence in gloomy conditions." Vaughan never opted for spin even when the stand was building between the two batsmen. "I didn't give an over to Giles because I thought spin wasn't going to be the best option in those conditions." (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
Cricket
Get the Latest IPL 2024 Updates, check out IPL 2024 schedules and IPL points table at NDTV Sports.Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more sports updates. You can also download the NDTV Cricket app for Android or iOS.