St. George's (Grenada), April 25 (IANS-CMC) Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has described former West Indies captain Brian Lara as a true champion whose achievements will 'always be remembered'.

In a statement Tuesday, Mitchell said Lara was 'a true champion of the game'.

'His achievements would always be remembered as they set a new standard for the game of cricket.'

Lara announced his retirement from international cricket following his team's last game in the World Cup against England Saturday.

Mitchell said the region would miss Lara terribly as he became such a unique figure in West Indies and world cricket.

'I know that people across our region queued up early to get to a game so that they could see this great batsman walk out to the wicket,' he said.

'I know of persons who headed to cricket grounds as soon as Lara was due to bat. Collectively we as a Caribbean people all shared his many achievements with him including his three top score world records.

'We watched him grow into the finest batsman the game has seen in recent times and we were entertained by his unorthodox but beautiful style of batting.'

The Grenadian leader said that Lara's career should be a lesson to everyone, especially young people, 'to show that no matter where we came from, or who we are, we can rise to the top and achieve greatness.

'I wish Brian success in his future endeavours. I hope that his talent can be used to help rebuild our cricket and that he continues to be an ambassador for the people of our region,' Mitchell said.

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