Lara: WI need psychologist

LONDON: Brian Lara has no intention of quitting the post of West Indies captain, nor the team for that matter. Instead, he has vowed to continue playing on and be a significant part of the revival of West Indies cricket in the near future. “I want my employers (the West Indies Cricket Board) to know that I am here, willing to serve them in whatever capacity,” Lara told the BBC in a post-match interview following a 10-wicket defeat to England that condemned his side to a 4-0 whitewash.

“I’ve seen captains in the past who have given up when they’ve been sacked. I’m going to be around for a long time.  I’m willing to do whatever job the WICB wants me to do. “It’s my duty to be there to be an elder statesman in the West Indies cricket team for quite some time to come as long as I remain as an asset and not a liability to the team.” Lara, however, asserted there is no quick fix for West Indies, but believes there is enough talent that can form the nucleus of a champion side.

“We set a lot of targets in the dressing room, but we achieve less than 50 percent of them,” he said. “When we look like achieving them, the guys seem to get a bit nervous and it doesn’t happen. “Most importantly, I think maybe we need a psychologist who can help us, not just as a group, but each individual needs to be worked on to ensure they understand what international cricket is all about. “We’re asking some very young guys to do a big man’s job and they need every bit of help possible.”