West Indies could pose a big threat to the other teams: Brian Lara

Chris Gayle now holds the highest individual score (215) in World Cup history

Caribbean batting legend Brian Lara has said that the West Indies’s 73-run win over Zimbabwe at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday could serve as a huge morale booster for the side and with their key player Chris Gayle back among the runs, they could pose a serious threat to the other teams in the group.

"The morale in the team must be high now. They have won two games and with Gayle back in form, they pose a big danger to the other teams,” Lara told NDTV.

Speaking about the Gayle’s knock, the former left-hander said that the Jamaican looked to bide his time to score his first 100 runs before opening up shoulders and going after the Zimbabwean bowlers. The opener scored a 147-ball 215 which included 16 sixes and 10 fours and was dismissed off the final ball of the West Indies innings, after sharing a world-record partnership of 372 runs with Marlon Samuels.

“It was a fantastic knock to watch. Chris was a little conservative for the 1st 100 runs and then it was just ridiculous hitting. He took total control of the innings and it was great to watch,” the 45-year-old said.

Hope all the flak fired him up: Lara

Gayle had come under severe criticism from former players for not delivering with the bat in hand and Lara said that he was an extremely passionate individual and hoped that the comments from the ex-cricketers must have stung him.

"I hope Gayle was fired up from all the criticism. There is a lot of passion in Gayle and at times, he takes it personally. As a sportsman, you need to have a thick skin to cope with the criticism and move ahead with your life." he said.

Lara also complemented Samuels for his unbeaten innings of 133, saying that he provided the ideal foil for Gayle at the other end.

"Samuels treated himself to a 100. He played the supporting role perfectly. He took the singles and gave the strike back to Gayle. It was a great display of batting in a pair,” the former captain said.

Omitting Bravo and Pollard was a big mistake: Lara

He also felt that the selectors didn't take the right call by dropping Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the 15-man squad for the mega event.

"It was a huge mistake to drop Bravo and Pollard. They bring a lot to the team. They may not be sparkling performances all the time but are very important for the psyche for the team,” he said.