UNDER FIRE West Indies captain Brian Lara believes a good performance in today's opening Champions Trophy game against Bangladesh at the Rose Bowl may just put a smile back on the faces Caribbean fans after Hurricane Ivan.

"It would be great if our guys can perform and see it as something that will lift a bit of the burden. It is an opportunity for us to put a smile back," Lara told the Associated Press.

"It is a really distressing time for the people in the West Indies with the hurricane," said Lara, whose team also has to play South Africa at the Oval on Saturday.

SENDING MONEY HOME

Apart from planning to give Caribbean fans something to smile about, Lara said the West Indies cricket team would be sending money home to help the victims of Hurricane Ivan.

The West Indies captain, who has recently been under pressure to keep his job, said the players were upset to hear of the hurricane's devastation in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean.

"We have a lot of guys in the team who have family in the areas badly affected, and everybody has friends," Lara said.

"We have also gathered some money through the team which will go to the players' association on its way to the right place."

In looking forward to today's game, Lara believes the 10 days the team has spent so far in England has improved the vibes in the camp. "The spirit is very good. We have some experienced guys coming back in (Mervyn) Dillon and Wavell Hinds, and these guys should help in that area," he said.

When asked if he was happy with the way his team responded to his captaincy, Lara said: "I don't like the results. The players accept the fact that the problem is within the team and that we have to sort it out. I don't think it matters that much who is leading the team ­ if you don't play good cricket you're not going to win," Lara said.

While Lara anticipated a tough clash today, Bangladesh's coach Dav Whatmore believes his side has what it takes to upset the big teams, although it was outclassed by South Africa. Bangladesh were blown away for 93.

"We're going for a win," said Whatmore. "We don't play to make up the numbers. We may falter and play some bad cricket for half-an-hour or an hour, but the objective is to go out there and win. Nobody can blame us for that," he added.

Back to Sport

Go-Jamaica | Jamaica Star | Go-Local Jamaica | Sports Jamaica | Letters to the Editor