Lara Blazing

Perth - Brian Lara let his bat - and an Australian Cricket Board (ACB) official - do the talking for him yesterday. The star left-handed batsman has advisedly kept his silence following allegations in India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report last week that he took money from a bookmaker to underperform in matches back in 1994.

And yesterday he stroked 108 off 107 balls in the first match of the West Indies' Australian tour against an ACB Chairman's team at Lilac Hill, a Perth suburb.

He and opener Sherwin Campbell, who batted through the innings' 50 overs for an unbeaten 111, added 163 off 27.1 overs as the West Indies piled up 276 for two.

The bowling comprised of mainly Western Australian second team players and retired Test left-arm fast bowler Mike Whitney, now 41.

A rainstorm that swept the ground as the West Indies innings ended deprived the large crowd of any more cricket and the new West Indies bowlers their first chance of getting acclimatised.

Lara did not speak directly to the media afterwards but passed his thoughts on through an ACB official.

'It's been a tough week but everything will come to fruition eventually, I hope,' Lara told the official.

'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,' he added.

'Today was good. I hit the ball well. Now I have to get set to play a longer innings in the four-day match against Western Australia starting Thursday.'

Lara came to the wicket in the 21st over after Campbell and 21-yearold Daren Ganga added 87 for the opening partnership.

Ganga, who is on his third West Indies tour, played impressively for 43 off 52 balls. He stroked six fours, mainly in front of the wicket, before he was bowled by 20-year-old left-arm pacer Steve Nikitaras.

Lara, in his first innings since the England tour on September 4, started so cautiously that he scored only two runs off his first 20 deliveries.

After that, he hit the ball cleanly and confidently, reaching his 50 from 52 balls and his 100 from 97.

By the time he was caught in the deep off Jo Angel, the 32-year-old former Australian Test fast bowler, he had 11 fours and three sixes in his column in the scorebook.

'This start was very significant for us,' Lara noted. 'We are looking to get the team back on a good footing.

'We need to be competitive so even a good performance in a festival game is a boost,' he said.