Blog exclusive: Lara kidnapped

Pah! Not quite - but in hindsight it might actually do some good for the West Indies team if Brian Lara went missing. Ramnaresh Sarwan's fresh approach to captaincy could be a start at least, as Caribbean cricket looks to begin a massive overhaul of its approach to the game.

Anyway, the Barbados coast guard's counter-terrorism unit was called to sea yesterday as (simulated) kidnappers attempted its daring bid to snatch Lara from either a casino, a St Lawrence Gap club, his luxurious property or the golf course.

"And within 30 minutes, at least seven perpetrators were held, some falling victim to the assault team's semi-automatic gunfire while others were badly wounded. The good news, however, was that the Special Operations Group had achieved their goal – rescuing an unharmed Lara."

I wonder what they would ransom now he's set to play his last few matches?

Another dose of legends

The crowds were out in Barbados this weekend to celebrate the opening of the new Kensington Oval.

And what better way to enjoy the day than the usual Legends game (all the rage these days).

Bermuda two years ago, the WACA last year, it seems that fans just can't get heroes of yesteryear out of their minds.

In Bridgetown, a West Indies XI (Haynes, Greenidge, Richards etc) took on a World XI, consisting mainly of past England players: Alec Stewart, Neil Radford and Devon Malcolm in a power-hitting and entertaining match.

Not long to go now until the Opening Ceremony. We will be giving you all the lowdown on how to enjoy the World Cup in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.