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'LARA MAY QUIT', the front page of the 'Daily Nation' in Barbados blared a few days ago, over the story that the West Indies captain, in the wake of the Test series defeat against India, is thinking that he may step down because his reputation is being dragged down.
In response to that story I would say, "Please hurry Mr. Lara, please hurry."
What I don't get about Lara is that all through the Test series he was calling for the curators to give him a pitch that would help his bowlers. In Jamaica, he got one and his team lost and he's complaining. In fact, he was complaining before the first ball was even bowled.
The truth is that in Jamaica the West Indies did not lose because of the pitch. They lost because Lara had already resigned himself and his team to defeat long before the West Indies went to bat in their first innings and were bundled out for 103. He had sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of his own batsmen thus giving the Indians the advantage before either team even took the field. And sure, only three batsmen made half centuries on the pitch, but I believe Lara should have made it four.
BEST BATSMAN
Indian captain Rahul Dravid batted twice on that pitch and made 81 and 68 respectively and that was what made the difference between the teams. Lara, on the other hand, as the veteran, the leader of the West Indies, the supposed best batsman on the team, failed to apply himself and got out for scores of 26 and 11 respectively. That's 112 fewer runs than the Indian captain got. The West Indies lost by 49. This is despite the fact that the West Indies actually made the highest innings total in the match, 219 runs.
What really gets my goat is that Lara is claiming that his reputation is being tarnished. That's a laugh. What reputation, the one as the West Indies captain who has captained the team to more losses than any other? That reputation is not being tarnished Brian, it is being enhanced! And, if he is talking about his reputation as the best batsman in the world, he lost that title a long time ago. As much as I hate to say it, Ricky Ponting is the man now, and he is followed by a host of others with Lara somewhere near the middle of the pack. Lara averaged just over 26 runs per innings during the series and more often than not, even when he made the 120, he never had that look of permanency at the crease. In fact, if my memory serves me, he was dropped at least twice when he made that century. So what reputation is he talking about?
Lara has always been selfish and this was a series that required him to be that way. He chose instead to praise the Indian captain, who was busy enhancing his well-deserved reputation as 'The Wall' with those two stellar innings that embodied discipline, patience and guts.
What Lara should have been doing instead of kissing up to Dravid is trying to emulate the Indian captain and in doing so he would have been the one enjoying the series win, instead of crying like the spoiled child he never stopped being.
Comments, reactions send to shearer39@gmail.com
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