West Indies all set to bid adieu to their Prince

As the Prince of West Indies -- Brain Charles Lara, walks out to the middle to play the last two one day matches in an illustrious career spanning over 16 years, the cricketing world and the West Indies in particular are all set to bid adieu to their favourite son.

His departure from the one day arena will leave a vacuum that will be hard to fill for even the most talented of the present lot.

''It's sad to see him go,'' said South African skipper Graeme Smith.

''He's been an unbelievable performer for the West Indies,'' said England captain Mark Vaughan whose side has been knocked out of the tournament last night.

Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is most likely to take over the reigns from Lara said, ''The biggest farewell for him will be wins in both the games, although we do not have any chance in the World Cup''.

Born on May 2, 1969 at Trinidad, Lara, in his third stint as West Indian captain has been criticised for the team's lackluster performances in the World Cup and he admitted the campaign has been a major personal disappointment for him and the Caribbean fans.

''It's a situation where you are playing your last few one-dayers and you hope you can end up in a World Cup final or a semi-final,'' he said.

''I know the disappointment of the cricket fans. I am sad that we have disappointed the Caribbean and our supporters around the world.'', Lara said.

''We feel it a lot. When we go to practice and (see) the people waving on the side of the road, we understand what cricket means to them,''he added.

When Lara takes guard for the last time against England at the Kensington Oval on April 21, he will be just 13 days short of turning 38 and he is philosophical about it. ''I have played my cricket innings. My day in the sun is over.

''It's tough playing one-day internationals out there, '' said an emotional Lara, who plundered 10,354 runs, studded with 19 centuries in 297 ODI matches.

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