Adrian Frater, News Editor

Brian Lara addresses the media at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay yesterday. At the forefront is the World Cup trophy Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.

WESTERN BUREAU:

WEST INDIES captain Brian Lara has dis-missed rumours that members of his team were out partying until late into the night on the eve of Friday's 2007 ICC World Cup warm-up game against India, which the team loss by nine-wickets at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.

"Well, first of all, I don't know anything about it," said Lara, when quizzed about the partying allegation at the press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay yesterday. "I doubt that with the sort of importance of this tournament that that would have been the case," he said.

"I am sure that if the management, Clive Lloyd or Bennett King, knows about it they would definitely filter it down to myself.

very professional

"I am not going to go there, but something such as that is not what we want to portray. The guys know and they are very professional in understanding what is necessary to perform the next day," he said.

In the aftermath of the West Indies' dismal batting against India, which saw them being brushed aside for a mere 85 runs in 25.5 overs, rumours have been circulating among the fair size crowd that members of the team were seen at a Montego Bay go go club partying until as late as 3:00 a.m.

"Until proven that that is not the case, I am going to say the source from where the information came may be wrong," Lara said. "I don't belief it happened."

In regards to the possible psychological effect the stunning defeat against the Indians could have on his team in the World Cup, Lara said it was just for his players to understand their respective role in terms of what is expected from them.

"We will be working to get the guys to understand their particular roles and to understand their strengths," Lara said. "A lot of guys tend not to play the way they are accustomed to play because of the situation. What they need to do is to understand their role and be as professional as possible."

In speaking to his personal expectations of the team, the Trinidadian batting star said the West Indies has been doing fairly well over the past three years, reaching the finals in several major tournament and winning a few times.

very good cricket

"You are talking about a team that has beaten everyone else (over the past two years). We got to the final in Malaysia, won the ICC (final) two years ago, made the ICC final last year, so you can't get on the team too hard," stated Lara. "We have played very good cricket for the sort of situations that we have been in."

While acknowledging that the team has been unpredictable at times and needed to get past that, the West Indiescaptain said he believed in the players and expected them to bounce back from the India game and do well in the tournament.

"I am quite confident that the team is going to bounce back, especially in the competitive stage when the tournament starts on Tuesday," Lara said. "You are going to see a performance that as a West Indian you would be proud of."