'I should have played a better shot' - Lara

Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment over his mode of dismissal despite producing a glorious 176 to lift West Indies to 292 for 7 on the first day of the third Test against South Africa in Barbados. Lara, who had engineered a fightback in the previous Test in Trinidad, motored to his 28th hundred after walking in at 12 for 2.

"I'm more disappointed with the shot this afternoon than the [second innings] shot in Trinidad," Lara was quoted as saying in The Nation. "Our plan after tea was not to lose a wicket, to end the day with at least two recognised batsmen out in the middle and we didn't do that ... . With four or five overs to go I should have played a better shot."

Lara, who arrived at the crease with West Indies reeling, was dismissed by Nel in the 87th over when he inside edged onto his stumps, followed by Dwayne Bravo - the only recognised batsmen left - and thereby gave South Africa the upper hand. "Someone needed to stay out there for the entire day," Lara lamented. "As a batter, you can't get a hundred every time you go out to the middle, but you can try. I laid the foundation, I tried to prepare myself for a proper innings today.

"This is what I relish," he said. "I relish the opportunity to go out there, assess the situation. It doesn't matter if I'm not captain." Lara, along with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, his captain, resurrected the innings with a 138-run partnership, and admitted that he also needed play a leader's role. "I'm 35 years old, going to be 36 very soon. I am actually a leader in the team. I've got to try to show the way with the bat and in the field and anything that Shiv wants in terms of help, I've got to be able to assist him with it."

Speaking about his team's game plan, Lara said that the bowlers should try and limit the South Africans to under three runs an over. "If we get in 100 overs and we can get them out within that period of time, they must not be in excess of 300 runs. That should be our aim."