Lara starts tour with superb century

West Indies superstar Brian Lara shrugged off his alleged involvement in match-fixing to crack a superb century in the first match of the tourists' Australian programme near Perth on Tuesday.

"It's been a tough week, but everything will come to fruition eventually, I hope, " said Lara, 31, after slamming a chanceless 108 (11 fours, three sixes) off 107 balls against an Australian Cricket Board Chairman's X1 at Lilac Hill Park, Caversham.

Opener and vice-captain Sherwin Campbell also stroked a polished unbeaten 111 (eight fours, four sixes) from 142 deliveries as the West Indies reached 276-2 from their 50 overs in the one-day clash before heavy rain caused play to be abandoned.

"I have responsibilities to West Indies cricket not to let other things affect me, so I'll just put on the blinkers and go out and do my best by getting runs," Lara said, referring to match-fixing allegations made against him by an Indian bookmaker.

Bookmaker M K Gupta has claimed he paid Lara US $40,000 dollars to under-perform in two one-day matches during a tour of India in 1995.

Lara has categorically denied the claim in a statement issued through the West Indies Cricket Board, but has refused to talk to the media in Australia about the allegations.

Mail Cricket Editor