CHANDIGARH (CMC):

FORMER WEST Indies captain and batting superstar Brian Lara was dismissed for a first-ball duck in his first match of the controversial Indian Cricket League (ICL) yesterday at the Tau Devi Lal ground.

Lara was adjudged lbw to Pakistan fast-medium bowler Azhar Mahmood much to the disappointment of the crowd that filled three quarters of the ground, as the Mumbai Champs failed to successfully chase a victory target of 122 from their allocation of 20 overs and were beaten by 33 runs by the Hyderabad Heroes.

Lara was trapped in front by a good cutter from Mahmood that pitched outside off-stump and came in, and the Champs never recovered to be dismissed for a modest 88 in 18.5 overs.

A top score of 42 from 28 balls from former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had lifted the Heroes to 121 for six from their 20 overs. Anirudh Singh made 21 and he was the only other batsman to pass 20 in the Heroes' innings.

Champs never recovered

Avinash Yadav was the most successful Champs bowler with three wickets for 22 runs from four overs. Former West Indies fast bowler Mervyn Dillon went wicketless in his allotment of four overs that cost 26 runs.

The Champs never recovered from losing four wickets, including Lara and former England batsman Vikram Solanki, in the first half of their innings. They were 27 for four in the ninth over, and though former New Zealand batsman Nathan Astle hit a typically robust 31 from 27 balls, the Champs ran out of gas.

Mahmood and former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris snared two wickets apiece. In the other match yesterday at the ground, the Chennai Superstars outshone the Kolkata Tigers by six runs.