Twenty20 not enough to excite Lara

Dubai: West Indies skipper Brian Lara says he is not fascinated by the Twenty20 version of cricket because it does not test the ability of a player but agrees the new format has spectator value.

"Test cricket is my game. It is a game I really love to play. Before being asked to captain the team for the third time, I tried to guide my career in the direction of playing more Test cricket and less One-Day games," Lara, the leading scorer in Tests, said.

"I don't think it (Twenty20) tests the ability of players like Tests do. But it is good for the crowd. You are playing a sport, and sport is all about spectators," Lara was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

Lara also said "it is necessary to produce results in Tests to keep interest in the game alive."

On the burnout issue, he said it might be true for big cricketing nations but he had no problem with WICB's itinerary.

"It may be true in the case of big cricketing nations. They are playing between themselves more often. A lot of factors are involved in it, like crowd, big money, television rights. I am fine with the sort of itinerary and fixtures we have," he said.

The 37-year-old Lara said he had plans to play till the next England tour but would definitely step down if he became a liability to the team.

"There are some cricketers who played well even after 40s. If I become a liability to the team, I will definitely step away," he said.

"Our immediate priority is to defend the Champions Trophy in October," he added.

About Dwayne Bravo not being given a retainer contract, Lara said, "He is a key player...one of the best all-rounders in the team. I am sure the issue of contracts will be sorted out very soon."

Lara also said he planned to tell his story through a book, which would be launched during next years's World Cup in the Caribbean.

"I am writing a book about my life and am trying to release it during the coming World Cup," Lara told Gulf News.

"Nowadays I spend a lot of time on writing. I am in the process of writing this book, which will tell my story. I have spoken to a literary agent," he added.

"This book will reveal my life story. It is not going to be a hundred per cent cricket-oriented book. It will be interlocked with cricket and many moments of my life that the fans don't know about me," he added.