Australia v West Indies, 2nd Test, Hobart, 4th day

Fatal finger nails Lara again

Play of the Day by Peter English at Hobart

November 20, 2005

Brian Lara walks back dejected after another controversial ruling against him © Getty Images

Brian Lara is having a terrible tour of Australia and his disastrous plight is not being helped by the umpiring. For the third time in four innings he was on the wrong side of a contentious decision, Rudi Koertzen this time misinterpreting a caught-behind appeal off Shane Warne. Pushing forward and across, Lara missed the ball but brushed his pad just after it past his blade. The Australians appealed in unison and on seeing Koertzen's slow-motion finger raise Lara slumped and froze.

The statue was eventually broken and he trudged off with a couple of bat waves to the crowd as part of his Down Under farewell tour. It has been a difficult journey in which he has not yet reached a half-century. He suffered an awful lbw dismissal to Brett Lee in Brisbane and was given out the same way to a desperately close call in the first innings. The master is 36, his wrinkles are showing and his skin must loosen further with each incorrect decision.

Peter English is the Australasian editor of Cricinfo

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