Lara, nursing a four-week wrist injury and desperately short of practice in English conditions, was left on sidelines as his side took on Warwickshire in a practice match -- at the very ground where he scored a world record first-class score of 501 not out for the county in 1994.

The 30-year-old Trinidadian has refused to discuss his injury. ``Ask the doctors,'' he said.

Lara's last chance of meaningful practice before the tournament will come against Surrey on Wednesday.

The West Indies begin their Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday.

Lara's injury is all the more worrying in that it comes just after the left-hander had rediscovered his best form after a 12-month slump.

He scored consecutive innings of 213, 153 not out and 100 in the drawn home series against australia in march before getting hurt.

It was atEdgbaston five years ago that Lara, fresh from hitting a world record test score of 375 against England in Antigua, had turned out for Warwickshire against Durham in an English county match and made history again, his 501 coming in a run of seven centuries in eight first-class matches.