Hardly was the ink on paper dry enough to confirm Guyanese Roger
Harper and Jamaican Jeffrey Dujon as the new coach and assistant
coach respectively of the senior West Indies cricket team, that
West Indies cricket had an additional, definitely more immediate,
problem.
The biggest story yet, even larger than the appointment of the
new coach, was the "abdication" of the captain of the last tour
to New Zealand, and captain since 1998, master batsman Brian
Charles Lara. Lara informed the West Indies Cricket Board that
he would not like to be considered for selection for the post of
captain for the upcoming series featuring Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
Lara cited poor results as his primary reason for his actions.
It must be noted that Lara could not, and did not, say that he
"did not want to be continuing as captain anymore." It would not
have been his right to say that, since, in real terms, his most
recent appointment ended with the end of the New Zealand tour.
If nothing, this guy is very intelligent indeed.
"After accepting the captaincy at the beginning of the 1998
season, I immediately set high but attainable goals for the West
Indies cricket team and myself. After two years, the moderate
success and devastating failures that have engulfed West Indies
cricket have brought me to the realization that there is a need
for me to withdraw from my present leadership position. I would
prefer that my name not be forwarded as a candidate for the
captaincy position for the upcoming series."
This is quite a turnaround for a player who, according to many
West Indian cricket supporters, especially in Trinidad & Tobago,
was supposed to have been "groomed from an early age to take over
the captaincy of the West Indies cricket team and to take West
Indies cricket back to greatness." It is no secret that Lara
badly wanted to be captain. I doubt that he ever imagined that
he would be the failure, for whatever reason, he has become in
that capacity. I do not know about you, but we are a very far
way away from greatness again.
Many Caribbean people have actually voiced the feeling that it
was about time that this happened anyway. Indeed, I actually
heard people clap and sing praises to The Almighty in Jamaica
when the news of Lara's decision was aired. Many others expected
Lara to quit after the drubbing the West Indies took in South
Africa two years ago, under Lara's captaincy, especially after
the "more money scandal," which nearly caused the cancellation of
that historic tour. Lara's toughness and pride did not allow
that to occur then.
Lara not only stuck it out as captain then, but managed to play
two of the best innings ever seen in Test cricket in the ensuing
series against Australia. The last tour of New Zealand, though,
in which the West Indies played so incredibly badly that they did
not win a single game, and lost the Test series 2-0 and the oneday series, 5-0, must have been a tour too far (as captain) for
Lara.
It has already been suggested in the Caribbean that one of the
reasons which forced Lara to step aside was the fact that (Sir)
Viv was not re-appointed as coach. Lara had openly said, both in
New Zealand and since returning to the Caribbean, that he was in
complete agreement with, and had complete solidarity for, the
continuing tenure of Viv as coach of the senior West Indies
cricket team.
In New Zealand, Lara and Viv seemed to hit it off well,
communicating well with all and sundry, but they simply could not
manufacture any success whatsoever, despite their collective
greatness. I must admit, though, that at times in New Zealand,
while the team was under so much pressure for non-performance,
even I had some sympathy for Brian. No-one, not even Brian Lara,
as great as some suggest that he is, could bring water from
stone.
Lara has surprised me here, though. After 1995, when he
suggested, nearly in tears, that "cricket was ruining my life,"
despite all of the recent, then, successes, and after actually
getting the much coveted captaincy position, I thought that "BL"
would have stuck it out. I am sure that both he and his advisors
would agree that the only way for West Indies cricket, now, is up
(We hope!!). Why not hang in there and enjoy the eventual
success, which is sure to come eventually, the same way that he
had endured the failures.
One can only surmise that perhaps Brian is much more burnt out by
the pressures of captaincy and being a premier batsman that we
actually know. There is even talk now, sensible talk too, that
Lara may not even play in the first Test against Zimbabwe on
March 16 in Trinidad & Tobago. If that were to occur, then this
is a far more serious situation than just the fact of a guy not
wanting to be captain.
Another popular suggestion given for Lara's sudden need for an
exit as captain-candidate was that he had been fore-warned that
he would not have been confirmed by the West Indies Cricket Board
as captain for the upcoming series featuring Zimbabwe and
Pakistan. It should be noted, with great interest, that one of
Lara's greatest mentors, former West Indies opening batsman,
Michael "Joey" Carew, is one of the current selectors of the
senior West Indies Cricket Team. Further note should also be
taken that the selectors could only recommend a player's name for
the position of captain. It is actually, finally, left to the
WICB to perform the duty of confirming the captain's position.
Yet another reason given is the thought, a positive one, really,
that Lara is "doing a Sachin Tendulkar." The former and
sometimes still captain of India had once given up the captaincy
to try to improve his batting returns. It had worked well for
Sachin, so maybe, just maybe, it could also work for Brian in the
immediate future. He certainly needs some runs. Remember, I did
mention that Lara is a very intelligent cricketer.
The massive problem with Lara's removing himself as a candidate
for the captaincy, outside of the fact that it undermines
whatever little confidence and credence that is still left in
West Indian cricket, is that it leaves a huge hole in the overall
leadership stakes. There are very few possible captaincy
candidates available.
West Indies cricket has always, at least in the recent thirty
five years or so, allowed for one of the originally selected XI
to be captain, not, as is sometimes done in England and a few
other places, have a captain individually selected and then have
a team erected around him. In Caribbean minds, the captain
should certainly merit his natural position in the team before he
could be elected captain.
Guyana's captain, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while being a senior
batsman for the West Indies, is probably the poorest captain of a
present regional cricket team. That was quite obvious over the
games he was Guyana's captain. In the semi-final against
Jamaica, he was worst than poor; clueless might just start to
cover it.
Jimmy Adams, the captain of Jamaica, and the last vice-captain of
the West Indies cricket team, to New Zealand, is probably the No.
1 contender for the position. However, he has not made many runs
for his country this 2000 first class season, and indeed, he has
not scored much for the West Indies since that 94 for the West
Indies against Australia almost two years ago. His highest
score to date, in six Busta Cup games, is 32.
Stuart Williams, the captain of the Leeward Islands and Philo
Wallace, the captain of Barbados, are both fringe West Indian
players who have, in the past, been tried, tested and have
failed. Rawl Lewis, the captain of both the Windward Islands and
the West Indies "A' team, is another who is a great liability at
the highest level and has not really blossomed, despite several
opportunities. A captain of a West Indies cricket team
representing the seven million of us, including especially me,
must have more to offer than these three.
The West Indian captains' barrel is quite barren.
This brings me back to my suggestion after the South African
debacle. I had suggested then that either Ian Bishop or Roger
Harper should have been named then as interim captain after that
tour. I still believe that. Many thought that I was mad. Maybe
now they could understand where I was coming from. That
certainly would have helped Lara.
As it is, Roger may have been appointed to the "wrong" position
last week, although I expect him to be good as coach. Right now,
not next week, not next month or next tour, but right now, the
West Indies cricket team needs a captain badly!!
Like all of the situations that has befallen West Indies cricket
in the last several years, this too will be ridden out. It might
even be opportune timing for West Indies cricket, as the manager
and the coach of the senior West Indies cricket team are both new
to this environment. Adding a new captain to this equation might
not be such a bad idea.
It is as good a time as any to start over afresh. The only way
from the bottom is up!!