Cricket legend, Brian Lara admitted he put off a return trip home to Trinidad and Tobago just to watch close-up the world’s top-three ranked golfers competing in the Dubai Desert Classic.

Lara has been in Dubai for some weeks working as a batting consultant for the Zimbabwe Cricket Team ahead of next week’s start to the World Cup.

He’s only one of two players in cricket to score over 10,000 runs in both the Test and One-Day arena.

But after seeing off the Zimbabwe Team to Bangladesh and India, Lara’s spent the past two days inside the ropes, as guest of the organisers, at the Dubai Desert Classic on the Emirates Golf Course.

World No. 1 Lee Westwood has become a close friend with the two having played a few games of golf together.

In fact, Lara had quietly commented to Westwood during the opening round of the event ‘ that was a good birdie’ as Westwood walked to the next tee.

Westwood was surprised to see Lara at the event and spent the next couple of minutes on the tee talking with the West Indian.

However while it’s Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Tiger Woods who everyone came to see compete, Lara found himself not being able to get away from the spotlight and was being asked often for an autograph and a photograph even though cameras are not allowed during tournament competition.

“I just love playing golf and I just jumped at the chance of coming here to the Dubai Desert Classic,” said Lara who plays off a handicap of five.

“It’s been absolute fun to get up so close to Lee and Martin and Tiger.

“It’s just amazing how far they hit the ball and their skill around the greens is remarkable, so I am trying to pick up a few tips to help my own game.

“I’m an avid golfer and I read a lot and I listen to what they have to say.”

Lara was due to fly out of Dubai last Tuesday and will now not return home to next Tuesday, as he’s seeking to play a round of golf in a corporate outing on Monday on the Dubau Desert Classic host course.

Lara also is the only batsman to have ever scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century and a quintuple century in first class games over the course of a senior career.

He also enjoys the test record of scoring the most number of runs in a single over in a Test match, when he hit 28 runs of an over by South African Robin Peterson in 2003.

In December 2006 Lara became the first player for the West Indies to go pass 10,000 One Day International runs.

Lara and India sensation Sachin Tendulkar are the only two players to do so at Test and One-Day levels.

In April, 2007 Lara confirmed his retirement at the close of the 2007 Cricket World Cup before shortly retiring from all forms of cricket.