Lara still holds key for West Indies

Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan all helped West Indies beat India in a one-day series this winter, but Brian Lara is still the man that World Cup hosts South Africa will be fearing most in tomorrow's World Cup opener here.

It was Lara who ended South Africa's hopes in the 1996 tournament in the Indian sub-continent, his 111 helping the West Indies to see off a confident Protean side.

"Critics at the highest level of cricket are in agreement that Lara is a genius," the West Indies manager, Ricky Skerritt, said. "Obviously there is pressure on him to perform. Some of that pressure is of Brian's own doing because he has high levels of excellence and would like to maintain them."

All-rounder Jacques Kallis is seen as South Africa's most important player. He injured his big toe during a net session on Monday and did not bowl in his side's warm-up game on Wednesday against a Boland XI. He did, however, bowl six overs on Thursday against Western Province to prove there was no lasting damage.