The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Outburst against selectors fair: Lara

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Saturday, Jul 22, 2006

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Outburst against selectors fair: Lara

Lara writing a book, which will give a detailed account of his life on and off the field

Dubai: Undeterred by an inquiry against him for criticising the selectors after the Test series loss to India, West Indies captain Brian Lara insisted that his outburst was a "fair opinion" on the selection policies in the country.

"It is unfortunate that people who are not in the dressing room make such statements about me," Lara, who is here for a cricket show, told the Gulf News.

"I feel very disappointed when things go wrong. I voice my opinion, which I think, is fair," he added.

Lara is facing a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) inquiry for his criticism of the selection panel. He launched a scathing attack on the panel after the Test series loss to India and said the WICB was not giving any consideration to his opinions and making changes in the team against his requirements.

Leading the side

The Windies skipper insisted that the only reason he accepted the offer to lead the side for a third time was the support and backing he had received from his teammates and former players.

"I've always received the support of my players. I have become the West Indies captain for the third time because the present and past cricketers urged me to consider captaincy. It is not because I look forward to captaining the team," Lara revealed.

Hailing the performance of his team in the recently concluded ODI and Test series against India, Lara said the host managed to put up a good show despite being the underdog.

"Before the series, no one was expecting us to win in either the Tests or one-dayers. We beat them in one-dayers and took them down to the last Test,'' he said.

Lara also praised the leadership qualities of his Indian counterpart Rahul Dravid and said he was impressed with his ability to inspire the team.

"He batted extremely well throughout the series. Coming from a one-day series defeat and inspiring his team to victory in the Test series is real testimony of his leadership," he said.

Parrying queries on his future after the World Cup next year, Lara said the matter was at the back of his mind, but he would wait and watch how things unfold for West Indian cricket before deciding on the matter.

"Guys like (Gordon) Greenidge, (Viv) Richards and Alec Stewart have played till their forties. I am not ruling myself out playing till 40 but I will step aside the moment I feel I am a liability to the team," he said.

Describing Gary Sobers as the biggest influence on his life, Lara said the legendary all-rounder was a major force behind all that he achieved in his career. — UNI

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