The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Lara to rethink about remaining captain

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Tuesday, Jul 04, 2006

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Lara to rethink about remaining captain

Special Correspondent

Batting legend unhappy with team composition in the series

Brian Lara... pondering his future. — Photo: AP

Kingston: Just when you think West Indies cricket has nearly extracted itself from the morass it has wallowed in, it slips right back. After being defeated by India in the fourth Test, skipper Brian Lara told a shocked gathering of newsmen on Sunday that he will "revisit my decision to captain the West Indies team".

Lara, who has been unhappy with the sides his selectors have given him through the series, said he had received an official letter from the West Indies Cricket Board on June 29 stating he had been a selector since May 28!

The 37-year-old, who plays no part in meetings of the four selectors — convener Joey Carew, Clyde Butts, Gordon Greenidge, and coach Bennett King — as captain, was eligible to vote through the Test series against India for a team he wanted, but was not informed until just before the fourth Test!

"I found that I was a selector from the 28th of May a couple of days ago," said Lara. "I don't know how that has surfaced. I am definitely let down. I must tell you that there is a meeting coming up in a couple of weeks and depending on the selection, I will definitely revisit my decision to captain the West Indies team.

Painful tenure

"It's painful, what has gone on for the last couple of months. Not just the Test matches but the one-day matches too and really and truly, I have West Indies cricket at heart. But if it is a situation where my reputation as a captain is dragged on — I mean this result is the first win for the Indians in 35 years here and you are the captain of the team, but in actual fact, I was never given the team that I wanted."

"First of all, I have been a selector, as I understand it, since the series started. Just take for instance, I said in the press conference after the St. Lucia Test that in hindsight, a spinner should have played. Yet, two days later, he was dropped from the entire 14. How do you work these things out?"

The batting legend said he will make his decision on whether to continue as captain — he has been named indefinitely — after the annual meeting of the WICB, when the selectors' tenures come up for renewal.

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