Lara pleased at improvement
Guyana Chronicle
June 9, 2004

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BRIAN Lara was a relieved man after West Indies completed victory by an innings and 99 runs over Bangladesh in the second Test.

Lara had threatened to resign the captaincy if his side, which drew the opening match in St Lucia.

"We were terrible in St. Lucia, but we put up a really good performance in this Test," said Lara.

"It was another slow pitch again, but we were pretty committed, particularly in the field."

He added: "I think the team played really well and I think we improved in this match."

Lara believes, however, that a more professional approach and better forward planning are needed if West Indies are to become a major force again.

"My best friend [footballer] Dwight Yorke knows that before a season starts he has to be fully fit to last the season," he said.

"We seem to be playing cricket and trying to get fit at the same time.

"But a fit team is definitely one that is going to make sure the other areas come together.

"Our preparation has to be sorted out. We have to look to see how well we can prepare ourselves so from day one, even if we are playing in Timbuktu, we are better in those conditions than the opposition."

Defeated Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar said: "It's a little bit disappointing because we keep on repeating the same mistakes but I hope my boys will learn from those mistakes now.

"I think we improved match by match on the tour."

Ramnaresh Sarwan cleaned up with the man-of-the-match and man-of-the-series awards with 261 not out in Jamaica.

He said: "I enjoy batting at Sabina Park. The wicket was pretty good for batting but I thought the bowlers did well too. (BBC Sport).