Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003
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Cricket
West Indies Cricket Board president Wes Hall said the board accepted the recommendation of a selection panel ahead of a home series against Australia and Sri Lanka. It will be Lara's second stint in charge as captain. The Trinidadian double world-record holder resigned after a tour of New Zealand in 1999-2000 in which West Indies lost both Tests and all five one-dayers. Sir Vivian Richards, a member of the selection panel, said he and others had been looking for someone "who would have done it before, with experience." Talented 22-year-old batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was appointed as Lara's vice-captain for the upcoming series. Australia arrives in the Caribbean on Wednesday to play four Tests and seven one-day Internationals, beginning April 10 in Georgetown, Guyana. Sri Lanka follows for two Tests and three one-dayers in June. When he resigned in 2000 after two years as captain, Lara cited "moderate success and devastating failures" in West Indies cricket. Lara captained 18 Tests, winning six, losing 10 and drawing two. He led in 44 one-day Internationals, with 20 wins, 23 losses and one no result. His defining moment as skipper came in the last home series against Australia in 1999 when, originally on probation as captain, he smashed three centuries, including a double, in four Tests as the series was drawn 2-2. Richards said that magnificent performance was one of the factors that tilted his panel toward Lara. "When his back was against the wall, I personally felt he came through superbly. He definitely stood his ground," Richards said. "This would be something that would have helped sway the individuals who would have made this decision." Bennett King, the current head of Australia's Cricket Academy, was named as the new West Indies coach to replace Roger Harper, who did not reapply for the job he held from March 2000 until the end of the recent World Cup. But King isn't certain he wants to take up the job and says the sport's national administrators had erred by announcing his appointment before completing contract negotiations with him. King said the media had been informed of his pending appointment before he'd received a phone call from the Caribbean officials to confirm he was their preferred candidate. "They've nominated me as the preferred candidate and I haven't agreed to anything," said King on Tuesday. "I've seen no terms or conditions." King, 38, said he was upset at the premature announcement. He applied for the job last December and had an interview last month. Asked if he would replace Harper, King replied: "I'll tell you when they get some terms on the table." "I believe the first week in July they're looking at me being there, but in terms of making a decision, I can't do anything until they give me something," said King. "We'll wait and see. I need a bit more time to think about it all." The Australian Cricket Board said it was aware King had been offered the vacant West Indies position, but added that King was bound to coach the Australia A team against South Africa A in a tour match April 11-13. Gus Logie, named in the new role as assistant coach, will fill the head coach job temporarily for the series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Logie, a former West Indies middle order batsman, coached Canada at the recent World Cup in South Africa but has worked with the West Indies `A' and under-19 teams in recent times. The removal of Hooper as captain after a disappointing World Cup campaign, in which the West Indies failed to get past the first round, may signal the end of the road for the 36-year-old. Hooper's form has dipped in the past six months and a number of young batsmen have emerged to stake their claims. But Richards revealed that Hooper was still willing to contribute if the selectors see fit. "He still felt that he had quite a lot left and he was still capable of accomplishing a lot of things as a batsman," Richards said. "He said he was looking forward to representing his country whenever asked." Meanwhile, manager Ricky Skerritt, who has held that post for three years, is to continue in that role. Roger Brathwaite, acting chief executive officer for the past six months, has been appointed full time to that position.
Great challenge
"It's a great challenge for me again," the 33-year-old Lara said at Kensington Oval after his appointment". "I've had two years of introspection, two years of looking and seeing where I've gone wrong," Lara said. "It was a period of learning. A lot of things I had done two years ago, I don't think I'll be doing now." "Other than Carl, myself and Ridley (Jacobs), there is not much there in terms of experience," Lara said. "So I think it would be a dereliction of duty if I was presented the job and to turn it down. I see my responsibilities and I want to play a part." Lara said he learned a lot as "one of the guys in the team" under first Jimmy Adams and then Hooper, but was looking forward to making his presence felt again. "Definitely it will be a different style ... it will definitely be Brian Lara you're seeing out there," he said. He was also optimistic in his outlook for the Australian series, which begins April 10 with the first Test in Georgetown, Guyana. "I wouldn't take the job if I didn't think we could win the series," Lara said. "We've got a team that is full of a lot of potential. We need to shape our characters especially in these tough times, especially against the best team in the world. There is no better opposition to do that against," Lara said.
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