Lara: 'I'm better than I was in 1994'

The psychological war of words ahead of Thursday's first Test at Sabina Park cranked up a gear yesterday when Brian Lara told reporters that he feels he is a better player than when he broke Sir Garry Sobers's world-record score of 365 not out in Antigua a decade ago.

"I am mentally stronger, far more mature and less of a flash in the pan, which is what some people thought then," he warned. And Lara's Test form over the last 12 months - he has scored 1595 runs at an average of 69.35 - backs up his boast. "I am looking forward to surpassing what I did ten years ago - not perhaps in terms of runs, but in terms of worth.

"I think Hayden's 380 has been tremendous for me," Lara continued. "I was woken up at three o'clock in the morning and told the news, and then I lay in bed thinking. I think this may have given me the impetus to go on and achieve even greater things. By this I don't necessarily mean breaking records,but by leaving a greater impact on the game than just one or two innings."

Lara is a more polished act than he was in 1994. Two stints as West Indies captain have left him less self-centred and more at ease with the burden on him. His batting, which went through phases where he looked out of sorts, even disinterested, is now relaxed and appears to come more easily to him.

And the responsibility of being his side's elder statesman sits comfortably on his shoulders. "A high-profile player has to toe the line and I try to lead by example. A lot of guys appreciate that, and it is an advantage to have somebody as captain whom the players feel they can look up to; somebody whose door they can knock on to talk about anything on cricket or life.

"This is a special series for me because it may be my last series against England at home," he added. "But most importantly it is because the Wisden Trophy is not in our hands. It hurt to lose it to England in 2000, having held it for such a long period of time. England are our biggest rivals, and this was a bitter moment, not only for myself, but also for all the other members of the team.

"I realised England were our No. 1 foe in world sport on my first tour of England in 1991. Viv Richards was captain of the West Indies and I immediately got a feeling of the competition that existed between the two teams. The trophy is currently in England's hands and we will be fighting to get it back."

And as for his reported disagreements with Richards during the recent South Africa tour? "Me and Sir Vivian have always got on quite well, but that is something that is in the past now," Lara said. "We're two big men who can go out for a beer and talk about cricket and I hope that will continue."

There was little Michael Vaughan could do other than agree with Lara's self-assessment. "With his record, Brian is the world's No. 1 batsman at the moment," he admitted. "He's a tremendous player, but their top seven is probably as good as any around the world at the minute."