Hooper opting out disappoints Lara

WEST INDIES captain Brian Lara was disappointed that former West Indies captain Carl Hooper had decided not to play in the current Test series against Australia, after he was named in the first Test squad.

Lara said: “Well, first of all I do not know where Carl is, so it is hard for me to have a discussion with someone whom I cannot find. “Carl was welcomed into the team by the selectors and unfortunately he saw other reasons for him not to be there and noble reasons maybe...seeing it necessary to pick younger players but I think that sort of decision as to who picks younger players and who picks stalwarts of the game should be left to the selectors.

“If you are fit enough to play and available to play, you should make your skills available to us and it is unfortunate that we do not have Carl Hooper as I personally think it would have made a different story,”said Lara in an interview. “But I cannot discuss anything with him, as I do not know where he is. “Carl is always welcome in WI cricket, be it as a player, be it as a past player, whatever it is. He has represented West Indies in over 100 Test matches. There are only a few people who have done that and kudos must go to someone like that. “Well as I said, if someone thinks that he still has a contribution to make, leave it up to whomever to decide. “I have a contribution to make. If tomorrow comes and I am not captain of this team or Carl returns as captain in the next series or whatever or Sarwan, I would make myself available to play for West Indies cricket because this is what my life is all about ...representing West Indies and not making quick decisions on personal matters,”noted Lara.

“You must get the broader picture and the broader picture is that you are a servant of West Indies cricket and you must serve it for as long as you are physically capable.” Lara believes that there needs to be better communication between the West Indies Cricket Board and the players. “I think the relationship with the Board and the West Indies Players Association is of paramount importance. I think transparency between both parties is important to know exactly where each of us stands instead of the tugging and pulling all over the place. It  is not necessary and is not going to help us.” Lara still believes in his current West Indies team. “Definitely I think that this team is full of talent. This team is pretty raw still and the guys are now getting into the team in Test matches and it takes time to learn about cricket at this level.

“I mean you could be how good you want to be. This thing they call Test cricket. Playing against Australia and bigger Commonwealth Countries, England and these sorts of places is a daunting task and I think the team at present is well composed. “I think the team is well put-together and I expect to see a lot of forward movement within everybody ...within all members of the team and actually getting back that invincibility we had in the seventies and eighties and that the Australian team has at present.,” Lara threw a sideswipe at the standard of wickets in the West Indies when questioned on the lack of penetration in the current West Indies bowling and stating: ,”Well, first of all I would move away from the cricketer when I am trying to make my point here. “I think the pitches in the Caribbean are not encouraging anything. We do not have the greatest spinners in the world yet we are playing on slow turning wickets. That in itself is not even conducive to proper spin bowling because the ball is not ripping off the wicket and of course anybody who calls himself a fast bowler will know that these tracks really do not suit them., “So I would focus my attention on getting the people in authority to ensure that we have pitches that are of good quality because that is one of our weaponry. “That is one of the things in the past that we were very well known for and that has been discouraged for some time...maybe we can pay some sort of attention to it. You know we might have two three-day first class matches. You know normally it is a four-day match, you know the batsmen might not be able to handle it but so be it. At the end of the day, the best batsmen are going to come up against good bowlers that can bowl on good pitches,”he added.

Lara would just like the people to understand that he cares about cricket and the West Indies very much. “I personally would like to be understood, If I am understood I would definitely leave a legacy. If I am not understood then you never know, you might just go to the wayside. “I think if people take time out to realise that I entered the arena from a very early age..from a toddler..about 4-5 years old....wanting to play for West Indies, dreaming of playing for West Indies, having idols from the West Indies team, you know someone who has devoted all of his life for West Indies cricket and still some people do not understand me, will affect the legacy I have in this game,” He said, “Legacy is not something someone nurtures. It is something people consider that this person represented and he will carry on representing that even beyond his playing days. It is not something that I can nurture from my standpoint..It is something that I can leave and the only thing I can ask people is to try and understand me, because I am very simple. “ I need to be understood and I need to be allowed to grow and to express myself,” he concluded.