COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP):
WEST INDIES star batsman Brian Lara is likely to miss about six weeks of cricket after it was confirmed yesterday by hospital officials in Sri Lanka that he is suffering from hepatitis.
Lara, one of the world's top batsmen, was admitted to hospital in Colombo after smashing his 15th limited-over century in the ICC Champions Trophy 2002 match against Kenya on Tuesday. Team officials said then it was likely Lara was suffering from hepatitis.
Pathologists and physicians ran tests on Lara overnight on Tuesday and confirmation that he was suffering from hepatitis came yesterday morning, said officials on the condition of anonymity. He will need two weeks of bed rest and four more of recuperation before returning to the grind of international cricket, they said.
That would mean Lara would miss the coming tour of India which starts on October 9. The West Indies will play three Tests and seven one-day internationals against the hosts.
Other than being weak, Lara was showing no other discomfort, said the officials.
He was in obvious discomfort when he returned to the team's dressingroom after scoring 111 runs against Kenya.
"The doctor was called to examine Brian after he got out. Then he was admitted to the hospital," West Indies' team manager Ricky Skerritt said of Tuesday's incident.
Skerritt has been informed by the hospital about Lara's condition -- that Lara should stay in the hospital or have bed rest for at least two weeks and then can fly home if there are no resulting complications.
Lara was not feeling well before the match, but went on to score 111 runs off 120 deliveries.
"Brian has been feeling below par for a couple of days, but was well enough to take part in the game against Kenya," Skerritt said.
Lara rode his luck as he struck form after a lean patch, finishing with two massive sixes and eight boundaries.
Lara has scored 7,572 runs in 90 tests with 18 centuries. He has 7,549 runs in 203 one-day internationals with 15 hundreds.
