Lara Pulls Out of Sri Lanka ODIs

West Indies champion batsman Brian Lara has withdrawn from the ODI leg of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

According to a BBC report, Lara asked for and received permission from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to miss the one dayers as part of a conscious decision to extend his Test career.

"That's what I enjoy a lot, the five-day game," the left-hander told the BBC, noting that the reduced ODI workload would give him "a little more time in the Test arena".

Lara also missed the recent ODI home series against Pakistan. He was named in the 13-man squad asked to make themselves available for the tour of Sri Lanka but the Trinidadian will only play in the two-Test series.

A replacement is likely to be drafted in from the 'A' team for the triangular one-day series which involves India.

Lara has played in 256 ODIs for the regional side, scoring 9,354 runs with 19 centuries.