Harper, who will depart as team coach when his contract expires on March 23, was at the receiving end of a profanity-laced verbal barrage from Lara because he was unhappy with the bowlers that were provided for his practice session.

Lara, who has had a history of run-ins with authority during his 13-year international career, was batting on adjoining pitches with opener Chris Gayle and was apparently unhappy with the South African spinners that were provided (teams on tour routinely use local bowlers to fill-in as practice bowlers).

CaribbeanCricket.com has learnt that Lara told Harper he was not pleased with the spinners and demanded a fresh batch of practice bowlers. With the seamers bowling to Gayle in the nearby net, Harper told Lara he'd have to wait a while for a new set of bowlers.

This apparently angered the Trinidadian left-hander who proceeded to smack the next two deliveries out of the ground and then toss his bat away. Lara stormed off the practice pitch and began to verbally abuse a confused Harper in front of the entire team.

Lara then packed up his cricket kit and sat through the remainder of the practice session. The bizarre confrontation came as a shock to team members, including captain Carl Hooper, who watched as the episode unfolded.

Lara's outburst comes as a major surprise and has clearly undermined team chemistry and Harper's ability to command respect, especially from the younger players. Sources say it is nothing new for some players to "whistle to their own tune" when on tour, a situation that subverts efforts to instil discipline.

As a matter of fact, team management has already privately spoken to some senior team members to remind them that respect from the junior players will not come naturally but must be earned.

Harper and team manager Ricky Skerritt are both expected to detail the confrontation in their reports to the WICB when the World Cup tournament is completed.

The public outburst comes at a crucial time for the West Indies, which must win out in the first round to quality for the Super Six stage. It also comes as Lara has found rich form with the bat and is expected to play a major role in today's crucial game against Sri Lanka.

"That's the disappointing thing. Lara has everything at his fingertips. The youngsters in the team adore his batting but his attitude hasn't changed much. He is still as moody as before and it must be having a negative affect on the younger players who look up to him," a senior WICB executive with knowledge of the latest outburst said.