Lara hints at continuing after World Cup

London, July 11 (UNI) Hinting that he might continue playing after the World Cup, West Indies skipper Brian Lara has urged the country's cricket administrators and players to stop ''fighting each other'' and move forward in the interest of Caribbean cricket.

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

''But let's take one step at a time. We've got the ICC (Champions Trophy), we've got a 37-year-old body, we've got a Pakistan tour and the World Cup,'' he added.

Lara, who threatened to quit captaincy after the series against India after complaining of non-cooperation from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), said he wanted to be a part of the resurgence of cricket in the Caribbean.

''I want to see us get back to the top. It's so important everyone involved - the selectors, the public, the administrators, the cricketers - have all got to be moving in the same direction,'' he said.

Asserting that captaincy was not an issue for him, Lara said he was pleased with the team's performance against India in the recently concluded series at home in which they won the one-day series 4-1 but lost the Tests 0-1.

''Who leads the team is not of major importance as long as everybody puts in 100 per cent in a positive manner.

''Overall I'm proud of the guys. They're making steps to improve.

You can see them maturing and repaying the selectors for their faith,'' Lara said.

UNI XC PM AY HT1518