THE tension and frustration that have affected so many - board members, management officials and players - of West Indies Test cricket, now seem to have pushed Brian Lara into making a terrible decision:
He will step down from the captaincy of the West Indies Cricket Team, he said, should his side fail to win the current second and final test match against Bangladesh being played off at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
It may have been his way to jolt his team into the best possible performance to avoid the ignominy of defeat by the Bangladeshis who have never won any of some 30 Test matches played.
But it is a decision fraught with danger in that others within the team may be inclined to walk away behind the legendary Lara with some measure of their own guilt in contributing to the prevailing low, humiliating performances of the once internationally famous and highly rated West Indies Team.
To judge from the first two days of the current match in this renowned game of glorious uncertainties, it is quite possible that Lara may not have to quit as captain. Victory for the West Indies cannot be ruled out.
True, his leadership has often been the source of controversies, particularly among those, in and out of the region's media, who seem so displeased with his unpredictable performances with the bat, and even in making decisions on the field.
Of course, the anti-Lara lobby does not qualify to make the best judgement on his leadership, anymore than those who have been so prejudiced against Carl Hooper as captain and kept pummelling him.
We did not like the circumstances under which the captaincy of Hooper, a great player and fine gentleman of West Indies cricket, came to an end, and with it his involvement in international Test cricket.
What is of immediate relevance, however, is that the anti-Lara lobby does not succeed in forcing him out, especially at this time when it is certainly not easy to identify the one to whom he should hand over the baton of leadership.
The young and very promising vice-captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan himself betrays no anxieties to assume the captaincy should Lara, with whom he is known to have a very good relationship, decides to step down before the coming England tour.
Perhaps Lara and all other members of the current side playing against Bangladesh should, along with potential inclusions for the coming England tour, be encouraged to participate in a special retreat to seriously reflect on their respective weaknesses, including attitudinal problems, and what new strengths they can together bring in a new effort to restore the West Indies Test Team to a place of admiration and honour.
After all, the problems facing West Indies Cricket will simply not disappear with either victory against Bangladesh, or Lara's quitting as captain in the event of a negative outcome.