The truth about Lara is held in the statistic that he is behind only Bradman and George Headley in the percentage of runs he has scored for his team over his career. Lara has scored an amazing 20% of the West Indies team runs over his career. Anyone who studies professional sports will understand how significant that fact is and what it can do to the psyche of both the achiever and those who 'depend' on him. And, don't kid yourself, West Indies cricket has depended on Lara. That he has known this has been unfortunate and both to his and the region's detriment.

However, Lara, as Dr Hilary Beckles pointed out, was a new generation of cricketer. This new generation had no colonial power to prove themselves against, and indeed this generation was interested in making money above proving a point of equality or 'right to belong'.

His constant battles with the WICB were seen as selfish, but a contrarian argument would be to say that Lara was in fact the beginning of a properly organized players movement. The WICB has long treated the players as field workers, toiling to make whatever they are given, and not deserving of equality or even respect at the negotiating table.

It is true that Lara heralded in commercialism into West Indies cricket at a time when West Indies cricket became devalued, but he himself didn't devalue it. In fact, for most of his career, Lara has been the sole commercial and entertainment attraction in this West Indies team.

Very few West Indies players have left the game at ease with the WICB and the game and there is a touch of "jump before being pushed" about the timing, on the eve of the announcement of what many predicted to be a new captain and a new team to tour England.

However, for many of his critics on the ground, there is a salient lesson from Lara. There is no Caribbean government, no indigenous Caribbean business, no individual, who has reached the level of excellence at any profession which Lara has attained. Many of his critics struggle to even be achievers in their own towns much less the region or the world. The lesson from Lara, which resonated through his career, is that the road to success is a lonely one, and likely to leave you as a target for everyone perched below.

As a follow on from this, his inability to bring people along with him, is natural, a Caribbean 'ting' which we struggle to contain. The difficulty to translate individual brilliance into a group or team effort plagues Caribbean society.

Lara is a product of this new Caribbean. Therefore when we criticize Lara, call him selfish, and other names, we in many ways are describing the Caribbean, us.

Thanks Brian. Enjoy the fruits of your labour.

* Courtesy of The Tip, a Lifestyle, Entertainment and Community Publication in Dominica. The Tip is published and distributed for free every Wednesday.