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NEWS ICC Champions Trophy 2006>We did not bat well after great start: Lara 06th Nov 2006 14.00 IST By Agencies West Indies skipper Brian Lara regretted that his team did not bat well after the great start provided by openers Christopher Henry Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul against Australia in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Mumbai on Sunday. "We had a great start, 49 in no time, but unfortunately we could not capitalize on it as we did not bat well. We did not bat through the innings. We should have raised at least 225 which was a winning score," said Lara after his team's comprehensive eight-wicket loss at the Brabourne Stadium.
"We have suffered collapses like this. It happened in the final of the DLF Cup in Malaysia and again here today (both times against Australia). We need to ask ourselves why this was happening," he said. But Lara said he was happy with the way the team had progressed in the tournament. "No one expected us to reach the final, but we did. Now we need to keep the momentum going till the end," he said. But Lara also felt that Australia was beatable and the World Cup which the West Indies is hosting next year was an open one. "This Australian team is beatable. We have shown it. I still think the World Cup is very open and a lot of teams are capable of winning it," the left-handed champion batsman said. Gayle, who became the man of the tournament and sent shivers down the Aussie ranks with his blitz that fetched him 37 in only 27 balls with four fours and two sixes, said that he had made some changes in his approach to batting which had made some difference. "I am keeping still till the final moment and also playing a lot straighter now. It has been a very satisfying thing that I have been able to help the team with my batting and bowling," he said. Also View In-Depth Coverage: ICC Champions Trophy 2006 Team Page: West Indies Team Page: Australia | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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