Brian Lara gives Surrey fans a brief glimpse of his immortal class

Batting legend: Brian Lara could be gracing the Oval
10 April 2012

SURREY fans may well forgive their side's faltering start to the LV County Championship if the county really can land Brian Lara's signature for their Twenty/20 campaign.

The West Indian legend was netting at the Oval last week and the signs are that he could take on an ambassadorial role on and off the field.

Well if his conduct at The Oval when he joined a party of surprised schoolchildren is anything to go by it would be a shrewd move.

In his playing days Lara was sometimes accused of having the attitude of a prince among men, which would have been no unfair reflection of his powers compared to his peers. But at The Oval Lara exhibited no such airs and graces. Apparently the 40-year-old arrived at the indoor nets with no gear and had to buy some from the club shop.

Then when it came to his turn to bat he happily picked up a school boy's bat, liked the feel of it and said he was happy to use that. What followed was a Lara masterclass that none of those pupils present are ever likely to forget.

Lara decided the best way to demonstrate the importance of balance was to bat with one leg in the air, yet he was still able to play as effectively as most professionals in their prime. He also encouraged his young audience to sit no more than a few feet from his flashing blade as he whacked balls in their direction with only the netting between them.

Three things caught the eye from the session. First, that Lara has lost little of his awesome class that made him the best batsman on the planet. Second, he conducted himself with grace and humility that you don't always associate with celebrities of the modern era. And third his blonde girlfriend who turned heads as much as Lara's shot making.

Trott should not be left in the cold

ENGLAND have unveiled their Elite Performance squad of 27 players for the forthcoming domestic summer. More revealing is the 11 players given a full contract by the ECB and those excluded. The full eleven reads Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Bell, Collingwood, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Onions and Sidebottom.

Full marks to the selectors for an eleven that comes with five batsmen, a wicket-keeper and five bowlers. With Andrew Flintoff no longer on the Test scene England are having to adjust the balance of the side.

If they want to win Test matches Down Under this winter when they defend the Ashes they have to pick five bowlers. Four bowlers simply won't get the job done and they may as well get used to this fact of life.

One gripe though. Why no room for Jonathan Trott? He was the man who hit a match-winning century on debut to bring home the Ashes last summer. Yes, he has struggled a little over the winter but his flinty doggedness will be invaluable in Australia.

Trott bats with a bit of "mongrel" about him and is perhaps the closet batsman we have produced to a Steve Waugh. He'd be on my plane to Australia this winter.

I do hope by awarding him an incremental contract the selectors are trying to give Trott a gentle push and are not seriously suggesting he is on a par with others on a similar deal such as Ravi Bopara, Mike Yardy and Luke Wright, when it comes to their plans. Otherwise we may as well Fed Ex over the Ashes now.

Who watered Number 10's bushes?

MICHAEL Vaughan seems to be mellowing well into retirement. The former England captain was on sparkling form at a Lord's Taverner's lunch this week.

He said it was an outrage that the authorities were still no nearer to knowing who had urinated in the Prime Minister's garden in 2005 after the Ashes. He also tipped Graeme Swann as England's key player for the Ashes defence.

In his no-nonsense way he referred to Freddie Flintoff simply as "alcoholic" and said he would never have been able to sit at home like Strauss while his team-mates went to Bangladesh to play Test cricket.

No wonder MPV has been such a hit in the commentary box.

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