Legendary batsman Brian Lara has quashed rumours suggesting that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Rumours were making rounds on social media with many posts stating that the legendary West Indies batsman has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
However, the former West Indies skipper took to Instagram to deny the rumours. He also confirmed that he was tested for the novel coronavirus and the result was negative. Slamming the rumours, Brian Lara urged people not to create ‘sensationalism’ as he asked others not to use the pandemic as a tool for spreading negativity.
In a lengthy post, West Indies’ all-time leading run-scorer in Tests said that rumours like these create panic and cause distress in a society which is already going through a lot during these extra-ordinary times. He further stated that while the rumours did not at all personally affect him, it created unnecessary panic among the people in his circle.
“Hi everyone, I have read all the circulating rumours regarding me testing positive for the coronavirus and it is important I clarify the facts. Not only is this information false, it is also detrimental to spread such panic in a community already feeling the distress of the Covid situation,” wrote Brian Lara.
“While you haven’t personally affected me, what causes concern is that spread of wrongful information is careless and causes unnecessary worry amongst a lot of people that would have been in my circle.
“This virus isn’t something we should be using in a negative manner to create sensationalism. I hope and pray that all of us remain safe because as is noticeable Covid-19 is going nowhere in the near future,” he added.
One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Brian Lara enjoyed a stunning career. He represented West Indies in 131 Tests, scoring 11953 runs including 34 hundreds and 48 fifties. In 299 ODIs, Lara scored 10405 runs including 19 hundreds and 63 fifties.