Lara looking to end career in England

Brian Lara has said he may consider extending his playing career to the end of the next England tour which begins in May 2007. It was widely thought that the West Indian would retire from international cricket after next year's World Cup which takes place in the Caribbean, but today's news has quashed the speculation.

"There's the World Cup and then a tour to England - that's so tempting." he told BBC Sport.

"I'd really love to come back over to England - it's the home of cricket. The battles I've had against England have been tremendous."

After being an integral part of the West Indian side for almost two decades, Lara is keen to continue playing and relishes the prospect of playing with the next generation of Caribbean players. The feeling has now intensified after seeing his side out-play India in the recent one day series, and come so near to defeating them in the test series.

"I'm very optimistic about our future, especially in the one-day game. We've got a lot of that in the next six to eight months, including the World Cup, and I expect us to keep rolling on and improving."