``Thousands of poor, young black South Africans idolise you. How can you treat them like this?'' indignantly inquired the man from the Beeb.

``Well,'' replied Lara, immediately playing from the back foot at the team's welcoming press conference, ``we'll be there [in Soweto] tomorrow morning and all 15 of my players would love to play this match.''

Then the next day he walked out on to the Elkah Oval in the heart of Soweto, the West Indies 46 for two in their limited-overs match against a local invitation XI, and several hundred schoolchildren gathered neatly on one side of the ground. There was neither a murmur of recognition, nor indeed admonishment, as he strode to the middle.

It was a day off school and, to make it even more special, Lara turned on his renowned charm by scoring 65 before the rains came to spoil everyone's fun. By the end of his delightful innings many of the kids probably

still did not know his name (the scoreboard was no help), but they certainly enjoyed his batting artistry.

For all the noble pronouncements of its historical and sociological significance, the West Indies tour of South Africa is simply an opportunity to find a winner over a series of five Test matches. Anyone who thinks or says differently is ignoring the nature of professional cricket in an age beyond romanticism.

If by leading his team through South Africa for 13 weeks, Lara somehow manages to encourage a local youngster to reveal himself as a champion left-handed batsman, or if perchance Soweto just happens to produce its own Curtly Ambrose, well, that would be a wonderful bonus.

Role models are all well and good but, for half a dozen years at least, any number of wannabe Allan Donalds have perfected little more than the white greasepaint on their noses and cheeks. When Shane Warne toured South Africa, young boys quickly shortened their Donald run-ups and started rolling the ball out the back of their hands. But several years after Warne's departure, South Africa has yet to unearth a decent right-arm wrist spinner.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa has done an exemplary job in introducing the game to thousands of black youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds. With a better understanding now of how the game should be played, they will enjoy watching Lara and his men, and they will attempt no doubt to emulate the swashbuckling Caribbean style of play; but their admiration for Hansie Cronje will continue undiminished and, judging from what one sees of their games, they would sooner perfect the famous slog-sweep of the South African captain than the cannon cover drive of his West Indian counterpart.

There is, after all, a style of cricket peculiar to each nation; and, in South Africa, simply being black and eager to learn does not necessarily mean suddenly wanting to become a West Indian.

It may well happen that Lara is booed by some when the big matches start; but that may have less to do with his late arrival than with good, old-fashioned opposition to visiting match-winners. Ask Shane Warne.

Rodney Hartman is sports editor of the Sunday Times in Johannesburg