A Cabinet source said a government official has been mandated with
the responsibility of persuading Lara to return to the on-field
leadership, at least until the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean
next year.
“The position of the government is that it wants Brian to
return as captain because he is simply the best man for the job,”
the insider stated on condition of anonymity.
“We would love to see him leading the West Indies team during
the World Cup next year.
“With Lara in charge, the West Indies can only improve their
chances in the finals.”
A senior official of the government is expected to meet with Lara
upon his return from India and England.
Lara was expected in Trinidad on Thursday to join the national team
in the Carib Beer Challenge final at Guaracara Park, starting Saturday.
If Lara makes himself available, he would be one of three Trinidadians
who could be in contention for what is considered one of the most
difficult jobs in international cricket.
On several occasions since Chanderpaul replaced Lara, the Trinidadian
left handed batting maestro has made it publicly clear he has no
intentions of returning as captain of the West Indies. Lara is the
most senior player in international cricket, turning 37 on May 2.
He is also the leading scorer in Test cricket with 11,294 runs at
an average of 53.02, has the records for the highest individual
scores in Test cricket -- 400 not out -- and the highest individual
score in first class cricket -- 501 not out.
The other Trinidadian being touted as a possible replacement for
Chanderpaul is current TnT captain Daren Ganga, who led the national
team to the regional victory in the Carib Beer Cup earlier this
year, the first in 21 years, and he has franked the form by guiding
the national team to the final of the Carib Beer Challenge against
Barbados this weekend.
But while Ganga has led the national team competently this year,
his overall Test and ODI records do not inspire confidence for the
role of West Indies captain.
From 34 Tests, Ganga is averaging 24.08, and from 33 ODIs, the right-handed
batsman is doing slightly better at 25.87.
He only recently returned to the West Indies team for the New Zealand
tour in February, and opened the batting with Chris Gayle with some
success, ending the tour with an improved average of 38.20 from
five innings, including a second innings top score of 95 in the
first Test at Auckland which the West Indies lost in dramatic fashion
by 26 runs.
The outsider of the trio would be West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh
Ramdin, but he has admitted he would be interested in leading the
regional team for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in the
Caribbean.
Ramdin, at 21, the youngest member of the West Indies team, made
the comment during an exclusive interview with this newspaper following
Chanderpaul’s resignation on Tuesday.
“Of course, I would be interested in leading the West Indies
team (in the World Cup),” Ramdin declared. “Why not?”
The former West Indies Under-19 captain, who led the regional youth
team to the Under-19 World Cup final against Pakistan in Bangladesh
in 2004, then added confidently: “I don’t think age
has anything to do with it.
“Remember (Graeme) Smith was appointed captain of South Africa
when he was only 22; I think he has done a pretty good job so far.
Age doesn’t mean anything, it’s about getting the best
out of your players.
“Experience is more important than age and I have played a
lot of cricket with West Indies youth teams, and I have been the
West Indies wicketkeeper in the last year.
“I think I have learnt a lot in that time and if asked to
lead the one-day team, I would not hesitate (to accept).
“The One Day game is a much faster game than Test cricket
and you have to be prepared to deal with that.
As a captain, you may have to make changes constantly, and you have
to be thinking ahead of the opposition all the time.
“That would be a great challenge for me.”
Ramdin made his debut on last year’s controversial Sri Lanka
tour, when he was one of three players who signed contracts to play,
although the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) was locked
in a bitter contract dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board
(WICB).
The rookie wicketkeeper described Chanderpaul as a “good captain”,
but said he understood the reasons for his resignation after just
one year in the job.
“He (Chanderpaul) was always under pressure,” Ramdin
stated.
“His batting suffered, but I still rate him a good captain.
“It’s unfortunate how his scores deteriorated, but we
need a captain to lead from the front.
“Once that happens, I think leading the team will be much
easier and all the players will follow.”
The other leading contender would be Guyanese middle-order batsman,
Ramnaresh Sarwan, who has been the long-standing deputy, first to
Lara and then Chanderpaul.
Sarwan has played 59 Tests with a batting average of 39.89, and
in 91 ODIs with a batting average of 44.51. |
