Brian on the steps of his hilltop home
with his daughter Sydney and her mother
Leasel, who live nearby
The land on which Brian¹s house stands
was a gift by the Trinidad government and
he spent a massive $6.5 million building his
luxury home
Sydney with her father in the pool,
which was moved five times before
Brian found the perfect spot for it |
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The world record breaking
batsman
poses exclusively for us
with his daughter and her mother at his mansion in Trinidad
Much has been made of Brian Lara’s troubled state of mind since he
resigned the captaincy of the West Indies following their unsuccesful tour of
New Zealand last winter. He has hardly been near a cricket ground since he
announced that he was taking a sabbatical over three months ago. And the
psychotherapy he has undergone since then in the States has prompted murmurings
that he has lost his passion for the game and that an early retirement is on
the cards.
“My whole life seems to have been a talking point,” sighs the
31-year-old. He is sitting in the den of his luxurious home overlooking the
capital Port-of-Spain. The land was given to him by the government when he
became an overnight cricketing sensation in 1994 and he has spent $6.5 million
building a haven where he retreats from the pressures of being Trinidad’s
most famous son. To add to his worries, his 69-year-old mother, Pearl, has been
diagnosed as having breast cancer and diabetes. Should it be necessary during
the England tour, he will be on the first plane back to be by her bedside, he
says. “I’m still her little boy,” says the cricketer of his
mother. “My relationship with her grew stronger when my father died in
1989 because she was my only parent and I began to know her more as a
person.” The batsman also talks about the counselling he underwent
recently. “I went to New Jersey and saw a psychologist because I needed to
zone in on what I wanted to achieve in the remainder of my career. It was
difficult because I’ve always told myself that it’s not what Brian
wants to achieve, but what the team has to achieve.” He cites his reason
for resigning the West Indies captaincy as, “I just ran out of steam in
February. I realised that there are more important things than trying to
fashion my whole life out of cricket.”
These more important things include his three-year-old daughter Sydney.
“My relationship with her before was distant. These three months have
given us both the space to get to know each other.” For more revelations
from the demon batsman, buy the new issue of HELLO!, on
sale now. |
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