Brian Lara calls for fundamental re-think on the game in the Caribbean

Charlie Austin

December 5, 2001

West Indian batting genius Brian Lara has called for a fundamental re-think on the direction and development of the game in the Caribbean following his team's three-nil whitewash in Sri Lanka.

Lara who dominated the series with the bat, scoring 688 runs, including two centuries and one double ton, also claimed his "door was open" to the young players should they need any advice and admitted that he would trade in all his runs to start the series again.

"I was very disappointed that we weren't able to draw a Test match or even look like winning one," he said.

"The West Indies are known for going overseas and winning emphatically and this is not happening. We have got to put our heads together back in the Caribbean and show that we can do something about it.

"I don't know what we can do at present. The reality is that we have got a lot of young and inexperienced players. I remember my apprenticeship on the outside looking in and the eagerness I had to play Test cricket. At the moment a number of young players are doing their apprenticeship whilst playing and they are learning. We have to hope that whilst we are losing Test matches now that things will work out."

But he admitted that frequent defeats could have a negative impact on the players and said: "I don't how they are going to be affected psychologically."

In the short term he hoped the youngsters would draw on the experience of past West Indian cricketers, including him.

"My door is always open," he said. "The young players have got to realise that we have players around them who have played a lot of Test matches - including the likes of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Roger Harper, Carl Hooper, Viv Richards and myself - and that experience should be used. Personally I have not had many guys coming to me and asking what it is all about. I would like to see more than that from the young players. When I was younger Viv Richards couldn't keep me out of his room because I wanted to know all about Test cricket and how to be successful. At all levels we need the input of ex-cricketers. We need to have people thinking about cricket.

In the long run, though, he believes the system in the Caribbean needs to be reviewed so that the huge natural talent available at junior levels is transformed into Test success.

"We have got to put our thinking cap on," he said. "It is not something that one or two people can solve. We have to see if we can get more money into the game and what other things we can do. All the other countries are doing that.

One thing I can say is that West Indies cricket has always had the most talented cricketers in the world as teenagers. What happens after that is that is our problem. How are we going to make them grow into international cricketers. Test cricket is a mans game, its not for little boys.

"Sri Lanka are not being successful just because of natural ability. They have been planning for this over a number of years and now it is coming to fruition.

"It may take five more years but there has to light at the end of the tunnel."

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