Having stayed away from the shorter version of the game for some time now, West Indian superstar Brian Lara on Tuesday said he will take part in the 2007 World Cup and was willing to "sacrifice anything" to help his team regain the lost glory.
Lara said winning the World Cup, which has eluded the West Indies for the past 26 years, was one of his cherished dreams.
"I am ready to sacrifice anything to see that West Indies becomes the best team in the world. To beat teams like Australia and England in the World Cup would be great," Lara said.
The champion batsman said that he would return to the one-day fold either against Zimbabwe or India when they tour the Caribbean so that he is in good shape for the World Cup to be held there next year.
"At 36, I think it was the right choice to stay away from the one-dayers. It would have been tough on me to play both forms of the game, but I would like to play in the World Cup and am definitely preparing for that," Lara, who has the world record individual Test score of 400, told television channel NDTV.
Asked whether or not playing the one-dayers affected his Test performance, Lara said "I don't think playing one-dayers would have enhanced my performances in the Tests.
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"I love Test cricket and am glad that I am still being able to play this form of the game."
On the current plight of the West Indies team, Lara said, "it is going through a difficult phase. I would love to see the team turn the corner but I don't know whether it would be possible during my career.
"All my individual records are small in comparison to what the team needs. We are all hoping that we can regain the lost glory."
Asked whether the popularity of the game has dipped in the Caribbean in recent times following the team's dismal performances, he said, "I don't think public interest has dipped. The World Cup will be held there and am sure the West Indies public will come out and support."
