West Indies Cricket Fans

Brian Lara training hard in the gym to be part of IPL, says mentor Joey Carew

Brian Lara's mentor and former West Indies batsman Joey Carew told MiD DAY last night that the Trinidadian master cannot wait to be part of the Indian Premier League which he is set to grace next year despite being away from international cricket since 2007.
Lara (41) is in the top bracket base price of $400,000 for the IPL auction to be held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9 2011.

Carew said he was not surprised when Lara expressed his desire of returning to big-time cricket. "He indicated his intentions to me earlier this year. He is very determined to do well and is certainly going to succeed. I expect to see good things from Brian in this tournament and I am sure he will be worth the price a team pays for him," said Carew over the phone from Trinidad.

Asked whether he would be in peak physical condition to counter the best in a format not exactly suited to older cricketers, Carew said, "He has been training hard - running and working out in the gym. It doesn't take him long to get fit. He will be near-peak fitness soon."

Carew indicated that Lara was missing the game. "When you have spent a while being involved in something which you love so much, it is very difficult to avoid it for long. I expected him to return and this is his big opportunity now," he said.