Lara must toe the line
Orin Davidson's
These days you don't have to be a big celebrity to write your autobiography. If you happen to be the superstar type you might even have soap operas made on the events of your life. Brian Lara happens to be one of the few whose life in cricket qualifies for soap opera status. The last few days this month has scripted another chapter in the story of Lara's brilliant but troubled career. One year ago the Prince of Port-of-Spain was King of the Caribbean because of his extraordinary batting feats which lifted West Indies from the depths of despair to within one match of defeating world champions Australia who scrambled a creditable Test series draw. Any cause for suspicion about a decline in his exemplary batting skill, were shattered with a sterling double century and two centuries all back to back. Now, the plot revolves around the cricketer's off-field encounters with the West Indies Cricket Board. Just as his unexpected withdrawal from the captaincy had caught the Caribbean on the backfoot, his U-turn back into the touring party for England, bowled over everyone. It was after Lara had indicated his unavailability a few days before in typical Brian Lara style. No player has ever made his desire for the captaincy of West Indies more public than Lara did. Also none possesses two world batting records simultaneously, including the best Test match innings score. Few players have had as many run-ins with the WICB as Lara and fewer have delighted fans with his flamboyant strokeplay. None has ever relinquished the captaincy within two years and similarly none have ever earned as much money off the field of play. Still only 31, Lara's experiences could treble most of many players good enough to wear the maroon cap. However unorthodox and improper his method might have been, Lara's return to the team is most welcome, more than anything else, for the upliftment of our struggling team, which faces another stern test on their road back to the top against England. England which has been associated with many of Lara's stories, will again be featured when he takes the field for the first time under the leadership of someone else in Jimmy Adams, who though less accomplished with the bat, has proven a worthy leader so far. He will have to revert to being another team man as the privileges of captaincy, Lara has been accustomed to will be lost, yet one wonders whether the nature of Lara's eventual selection could be influential in the former captain acquiring special privileges. The fact that he made an abrupt change of heart after citing his mother's illness as the cause for his initial withdrawal from the team, hints at persuasion being the factor in the reversal that decision. Apart from his importance to the batting lineup, Lara still is one of world cricket's leading drawing cards. And in England his value to the commercial interests of the hosts, will be no different to those in South Africa where it was publicly stated that the business interests of the South African Board were not prepared to host West Indies without the master batsman. Having to persuade Lara to play though, is nothing new to the West Indies Cricket Board as one only has to refer to the last Windies tour of England in 1995 when president Peter Short took it upon himself to do the honours after the player threatened a walkout. The big question now is whether he will feel free to have his own way, taking into consideration his importance to the team and the organisers. Will he be allowed to return home to Trinidad whenever he feels like, to check on his ailing mother? Will he be allowed to decide when and against whom he will play in the warm-up county matches? These decisions and others must rest solely with that of team management and no one else. Having incurred the wrath of many in the cricketing fraternity with his highhanded treatment of the fans and administrators, through his behaviour since the New Zealand tour, Lara owes everyone the responsibility to toe the line.
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