Joseph defends skipper Lara

ST JOHN’S, Antigua: At least one member of the West Indies cricket team sympathises with the job that confronts West Indies captain Brian Lara. Batsman Sylvester Joseph, himself a former Young West Indies captain, has acknowledged that Lara, who was strongly criticised for his handling of the team, is in a difficult position. “Everybody captains in a different way, but I thought that he tried to motivate the guys,” Joseph told reporters on his return home from the tour of Britain.

Former players, the media and cricket fans have roundly criticised Lara for his lack of leadership and have called on him to resign from the post. But the West Indies Cricket Board gave the batting star a huge vote of confidence when they appointed him to lead the side to the ICC Champions Trophy also in Britain next month. “The team is a very young team, most of the guys are 21, 22, 23, and when you are playing international cricket that is very young,” Joseph noted. “It is going to take a bit of time for us to understand Test cricket at the highest level. I think that Brian has tried with us, supporting us in every way he can, but we all have to work a bit harder.”

Emphasising the tough nature of the tour, Joseph admitted he too, would have to reassess his own game and with the experience gained in England with a view to becoming a better player for the West Indies. “It was a good experience in tough situations,” he said. “We had a tough tour. The English team is on top of the world and it was very hard to play against them. “They are experienced players. The unity in their team was really good. It was very difficult for us because of the pressure the English team put on us. It was very hard for us to come back from the high they were on.” He added: “Playing Test cricket is always a great experience especially playing against England and the way they are playing now,” he said.

“It was a great experience for me. I know where I fell short. It is now up to me to get back and work on the weak areas. “I got a few outs caught in the slips off (Steve) Harmison. He is a bowler who gets a lot of bounce because of his height. I have to learn now to leave the ball outside the off stump more accurately. I think that’s the main problem at the moment.” The 25-year-old Joseph played in the last two Tests and batting in the unfamiliar role of opening batsman which he indicated proved to be a challenge, having not done so since playing trials for Antigua and Barbuda in the mid-1990s. “As a batsman you have to make up your mind to bat anywhere in the order,” he said. “It was just unfortunate that a situation happened that I had to open, but I had to go out there and try my best and I thought I did.

“I don’t think I did enough in terms of scoring runs in the Test matches. I had some very good first-class scores. It was the first time I was opening in my first two Test matches. “It is just up to the selectors now. If the opportunity presents itself and I know that I have to open, I’ll be much better prepared in terms of getting more practice with the new ball and I think I will be better equipped if I know the position I have to bat.” Joseph said he would spend some time with family before refocussing for the ICC Champions Trophy limited-overs series back in England early next month.