Brian Lara Back As West Indies Captain..>

[Ernest]

Brian Lara has been appointed as West Indies captain for the Third time.

His first job will be to lead the side in a one-day series against Zimbabwe, which starts on Saturday - just four days before his 37th birthday

With respect to Zimbawe, it should be a good pushstart to his 3rd reapointment as the Windies skipper.

Originally Posted by BBC

But the West Indies Cricket Board is primarily hoping he can lift the team before next year's World Cup, which will be staged in the Caribbean.

Yes but I think the West Indies board will also be looking wider than this, to see if he can lead a winning Test side with their young bowlers.

Although a great batsman, he really has a task on his hands to become as great a captain, but who knows he will have some young raw but talented players to lead.

Will Lara come good as captain this 3rd time?.

Link to full article.

[Vrock]

Lara's approach to captaincy always seemed fairly laid back, he will have the respect of all of the players under him from the start and I am sure they will give 100%.

To be fair to Lara he is really carrying on his second spell as captain, seen as the last time he quit the post was through the farcical sponsorship row.

If I remember rightly he averaged better as captain? If his batting does return to some level of flare then it can be only for the better of the game and hopefully the WI will get some good, strong, solid team performances. With everyone following the lead of Lara.

[Ernest]

I wish him well Vrock I think he made a big mistake when he went for his world record instead of a win against England, but I wish him well it would be good to see the Windies as a world force again.

[Ninjaman]

Originally Posted by Ernest

I wish him well Vrock I think he made a big mistake when he went for his world record instead of a win against England, but I wish him well it would be good to see the Windies as a world force again.

This old fallacy again....

Anyway, looking ahead this has never been about whether or not Lara, or anyone else, will come good.

Pick your best captain in the world and I bet you with the same team they'd be getting the same results.

This strange belief that all WI need is a good captain needs to die a quick death.

It was always the only logical choice to give him back the captaincy he should not have lost a year ago.

He's the only person in the side that has shown the ability to handle the pressure.

It always was a case of waiting to see if he accepts the pressure and criticism that goes with it. No one else has shown this.

He's asked around and seen that current and former players support him and accepted it again and stepped up to help again.

[Vrock]

Do you think that Lara, however long he has left in his test career, can turn the WI side around?

A side that has shown inconsistent batting for the past year and a half. (and that was thanks to only 3 batsmen) The prospects are good, with the keeper Ramdin and Bravo both looking like future top class players, but the top and middle order lack a great deal of consistency. It has taken Chris Gayle three series of early innings swipes to start playing a more considered approach to batting. I think that Lara could get these guys going in the right direction and improving, but whether he can bring them back to force I do not know.

As a bowling unit, the pace department also lacks consistency. Bowlers appear to have been switched around a lot more and they struggle to get two bowlers bowling well at both ends. Fidel Edwards looks fiery, he is young and could be really explosive but needs an opening bowler with him who not go for runs. Slow bowling really has no place in the side now, other than Gayle who will keep an end tied down and can take wickets.

[Ernest]

He did himself no favours in the eyes of the world when he did not go for that win, I agree of little matter now, but it's fair comment to show his attitude at that time.

Anyway I wish him well, it will be good for world cricket if he can bring this Windies team together, when the Windies declined so did a lot of interest.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Vrock

Do you think that Lara, however long he has left in his test career, can turn the WI side around?

I don't see why not, sooner or later the pace duo of Tino best and Edwards are going to be a force, and Lara might just bring out the best in them.

Originally Posted by Vrock

As a bowling unit, the pace department also lacks consistency. Bowlers appear to have been switched around a lot more and they struggle to get two bowlers bowling well at both ends.

I don't reallly care which team you are talking about, if the bowling is is such a state, then they are not being used to their best by their captain, and I suppose the coaching could be better.

As for the batting we know windies have some good batting, just needs some confidence behind it with some results, and a bit of luck.

one thing for sure, Lara can only improve matters IMO.

[Vrock]

Originally Posted by Ernest

one thing for sure, Lara can only improve matters IMO.

Oh yes, totally agree on that front, Lara certainly has had some good times as captain and the side can only benefit from him being there. And also Chanderpaul getting back to being the only batsmen that bowlers can never knock over.

I just hope that Lara and Bennett King can work together to get this team on the right track.

[Ninjaman]

Originally Posted by Ernest

He did himself no favours in the eyes of the world when he did not go for that win, I agree of little matter now, but it's fair comment to show his attitude at that time.

But the team did go for the win.

Go and ask them.

They got 15 of the 20 wickets they needed. Ended up 5 shy.

And the decision to let him go on for the 400 was a TEAM decision.

This has been debated before and each time someone brings up the fallacy that

From way back before the record was broken, the target of 750 team runs was made, was reached and the declaration made.

From before the target was reached, he said to Sky Sports, "We are going to press for the win."

Give it a rest!!

[Ninjaman]

Originally Posted by Vrock

I just hope that Lara and Bennett King can work together to get this team on the right track.

In order for that to happen then King has to formulate the plan with Lara, then allow him to execute it with his(Lara) players.

What he cannot do is dictate everything down to every field placing and bowling change via hand signals from the dressing room as he did under Chanderpaul. That is, in effect, be the captain.

Lara will, no doubt, not accept such a farcical situation.

That the WICB allowed something like that to be put in a contract to an individual they are paying more than any player is a joke.