FORMER West Indies captain Brian Lara, arguably the world’s greatest batsman, will be playing for the Maidstone-based restaurant side Lashings again this season.

Lashings chairman David Folb said: “Lara will be arriving in July and appearing in a few games for us towards the end of the season. Ten other Test stars will also be appearing for the side to be captained for the seventh season by another former West Indies skipper, Richie Richardson.

Richardson and his fellow West Indians Jimmy Adams and Sherwin Campbell and Zimbabweans Stuart Carlisle and Grant Flower are expected to play throughout the summer.

South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs will be returning for a number of key fixtures that are also likely to feature Viv Richards, Allan Donald, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Aktar and Curtley Ambrose. One of the highlights of the season is the return game against Kent at Canterbury on May 26 (1pm).

Lashings won last year’s game under floodlights and Folb is determined to show that his men are the best in Kent again. “Kent supporters better get there early or else it will be all over,” he added.

The Indian tourists will provide the opposition at The Oval on September 10 and a fixture against Surrey has been arranged for the same venue on June 10.

Other games against counties will be on August 7 (Durham, Chester-le-Street), August 11 (Gloucestershire, Bristol) and August 18 (Lancashire, Old Trafford). An attractive pipe-opener to Maidstone Festival Week is a game against Old England at The Mote on June 30.

Former England captain Mike Atherton will captain some of the stars of yesterday when the Professional Cricket Association Masters face Lashings on August 15 on the Honourable Artillery Company ground in the City of London on August 15.

Lashings are sponsored by bankers Lugano Synergy. Their multi-millionaire chairman Godfrey Thomson arrived in Maidstone last Thursday for a short stay.