BRIAN LARA said he didn’t need an invitation. Most of the 12 000 fans from here and the region didn’t either for what proved to be a special T20 international birthday bash for the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers at Kensington Oval on Thursday night.
“There was plenty of respect from the fans; it was a great turnout. They didn’t have to send the invitation, I was always going to come. If I had to storm, I would have stormed the party. I am just very happy and honoured to be here,” said a delighted Lara after the match.
When the dust had settled at 11:15 p.m., the Sir Garry XI fittingly won the match on a canter by ten wickets with dashing Dale Richards leading the way with an explosive 59 off just 28 balls, but the result did not matter to the sold-out crowd, who were just happy to be part of Sir Garry’s 80th birthday treat.
Some fans would have been rightly disappointed that the second half of the match was reduced to ten overs – there were intermittent showers late in the night – but that was a minor letdown on a night that fans got to see Lara, Sir Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Carl Hooper and Collis King one more time.
Please read the full story in today’s Saturday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.