Lara concerned about mental strength

West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara is concerned about the mental strength of the Caribbean cricketers as they prepare for the Second Test against Zimbabwe and the tour of South Africa.

The master Trinidadian batsman would like this sort of preparation to start at an earlier age. The 33-year-old Lara  wants the team’s new regimen of mental preparation to begin with players at the Under-15 and Under-19 levels.  “I’m almost sure you are well aware of Tiger Woods and Serena Williams. When they were kids they were going through that sort of psychological help from very early, being able to handle international sports and top class competition, and I hope that it filters down to that age in West Indies cricket,” Lara told reporters in Antigua before the team left for Zimbabwe. “Mentally, I must say it is a challenge. It’s a pity when we leave the West Indies shores and go abroad that we don’t perform the same way that we do when we are at home. I remember losing 3-0 to Sri Lanka a couple years ago and recently beating Sri Lanka 1-0 here. “It says something and the mental side of the game is an area I am happy we are addressing. It is something that should be continued throughout the tour. . .We must reiterate the fact that we did well against Australia in the last three One-Dayers. We also had a 300 score against Sri Lanka, so maybe it is not time to be overly concerned. “We will be now getting together as a team. “We have not done that for some months but I’m sure collectively that we are going to come together and give a very professional account of ourselves,” Lara said.

On the question of the recent Red Stripe One-Day tournament in Jamaica where Trinidad and Tobago were humbled by Barbados in the semi-final, Lara told the reporters in Antigua: “I felt good during the tournament and I didn’t get the scores which were necessary. There was only one team that scored in excess of 250 and there were numerous matches in Antigua and Jamaica and especially in the semi-finals and finals. “In Jamaica I thought the teams weren’t playing planned cricket. There were a lot of loose shots and teams weren’t deciding to bat all 50 overs, putting themselves under a lot of pressure through the middle overs,” he said.

Lara has not given up all hope even though he is quoted as saying he was not anxious to reclaim the world record for the highest individual score in Test cricket which was eclipsed by Australian Matthew Hayden who scored 380 against Zimbabwe earlier this month. “Put Brian Lara aside. We have got a lot of young cricketers who can eclipse that score. I’ve had my time in the sun. I would love to do it. I could feel the spirits drop in the Caribbean. We have had that record for 45 years and it has been taken by a member of a team (Australia) that is the best in the world. “And don’t forget that they seem to be breaking a lot of records and we got (a world record 418) against them — I mean they take one and we take one,” he stated. “Personal goals are what you aspire to when you are young and want to achieve them. Presently, my aim is to see West Indies cricket back on top and someone scoring 380 really and truly doesn’t factor in what I see for West Indies cricket. The vision that the youngsters have is to get back to the top and that can only be done on a collective basis,” said Lara. “If someone from within the team goes ahead and achieves a milestone for themselves that is great, but I’m sure every West Indian would like to see the West Indies team pick up a run of success that is unmatchable, and that’s what we are aiming for in the future,” Lara said.