Lara shines in the Dominica Charity Match

Cricket legend and West Indies veteran Brian Charles Lara showed the world again as to why he is considered one of the best all time batsman in the World scoring an unbeaten 68 in a charity match aimed at raising the funds for helping the people affected of tropical cyclone Erika.

The Island nation was hit hard by tropical storm Erika which killed 31 people and left thousands homeless.

Authorities estimate the damage from Erika at upwards of $US200 million ($A278.88 million).

The match turned out to be a fun night for those who took part in it and for the spectators and did what it was supposed to do. Footballer Dwight Yorke and sprint star Yohan Blake also took part in the match at Kensington Oval.

Trinidad’s Lara made unbeaten 68 as he guided the University of West Indies side to 154 for the loss of 6 wickets. However, this didn’t at all prove to be a daunting task for the opposition West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI who chased it down easily with 7 wickets in hand, courtesy some big hitting from Kieron Pollard. WI legends such as Sir Curtly Ambrose and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were also among the crowd favourites while Dinesh Ramdin, Shane Shillingford and Marlon Samuels were some of the current players who took the field for this wonderful cause.

Both the teams had 6 West Indies players and 5 regional celebrities and the West Indies Cricket Board said all proceeds from the match would be donated to the Dominica Emergency Relief Fund.

“Like most people in the Caribbean, we’ve all seen the devastating effect of these weather systems on Dominica, and we got together and tried to determine what we could do to assist,” said WICB president Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron.

“West Indies cricket has brought the people of the Caribbean together like nothing else, so the WICB and our players are committed to doing our part to help in the face of disaster, as has occurred in Dominica.

“Using the power and contribution of cricket, so that the recovery efforts underway in Dominica can continue and life can steadily be restored to normal in the island is very crucial.”