LARA

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Fitness will not be an issue for West Indies batting star Brian Lara when he turns out in the IndianTwenty20 league later this year.

The prolific left-handed batsman, who quit international cricket in April, said he had been in training in preparation for the start of the Asia-based league.

"I always knew that at some point in time I would be playing cricket so I did not let things get out of hand. I've been training. Very close to me is Chancellor Hill so I'm up there very regularly," Lara said at the launch of the Brian Lara L-L-B limited edition bottle commemorative series at Angostura's offices on Wednesday.

Lara, the record holder for the highest Test and first class score along with the most career runs in Tests, admitted he would need to put in more work in order to be match fit.

"Obviously I do have to get in some of the practical side of the game, where I get into the nets and work on it, but there is some time before I get into cricket," the 38-year-old former West Indies captain said.

"I have a lot of other interests I have to pay attention to [right now] but I feel comfortable within myself that I am capable of playing."

Lara was announced earlier this week as the first high profile player to be signed on to the Twenty20 league.

The tournament is yet to be sanctioned by the Indian cricket board or the International Cricket Council, the world governing body for the sport.

Lara has partnered with Angostura, a Trinidadian company that manufactures bitters, in a venture that will promote his glittering career.