Lara turns down Pakistan offer

PORT OF SPAIN – Former West Indies captain and outstanding batsman Brian Lara says he turned down an offer to play for the International XI in two unofficial Twenty20 matches in Pakistan because he was concerned about the message it would send out in light of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) disassociating itself from the matches.“Yes, an offer was made to me,” Lara, a 43-year-old Trinidadian, told the Trinidad Guardian. “Until such time as the governing body in Pakistan [PCB] is able to convince the rest of the world that the best safety mechanisms have been put in place and the [International Cricket Council] agrees, I would have to say no.”The T20 matches between the International XI and a Pakistan All Stars XI at the National Stadium marked the return of international players and cricket, albeit unofficial, to Pakistan for the first time since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. (CMC)