Lara wishes MCL had happened when he retired

Brian Lara

West Indian legend Brian Lara felt that the Masters Champions League (MCL) was a great idea and wished it had happen sooner and when he had retired.
The stylish left-hander played his final Test against Pakistan in Karachi in 2006, while his last One Day International was against England in Bridgetown in 2007.
The advent of T20 cricket happened after his retirement so Lara didn't really get the opportunity to test the water.
Having called time on a stellar career a long time ago, Lara was unsure if he could find the old touch back again. But the Trinidadian was excited to be back and playing cricket and wished that a concept like the MCL had taken place when he retired.
"It has been awesome to come out and play. I think the League, it is a great idea, may be it is 10 years late. When I retired, I would have loved to fall straight into something like this," said Lara.
"It has got a lot of legs. You have the likes of Sangakkara, Sehwag, Murali, Styris and a lot of guys who will be coming off the international roster very soon that will make this league something very special. As I said, I wished it was eight years ago but at 46, it is just a privilege to be in the midst of guys playing competitive cricket," he said.
Lara hasn't quite set the stage alight with pretty modest scores of 8, 0, 1 and 11 in the semifinal against the Virgo Super Kings. But the West Indian was looking beyond that and said he was more like a mentor to the team.
"My expectations are not like, you know, if I was playing for the West Indies in my mid-20s and I know what I was capable of. I think being around in the dressing room, being with some of the guys who might have not played a lot of international cricket against me, I think that is very much where my duties are," Lara said.
The MCL was launched this year with it set to run over a 10-year period.
james@khaleejtimes.com