Lara Laments WICB Distrust

West Indies captain Brian Lara does not believe the leadership of the team has the full trust of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

"The word is trust. People such as Sir Viv [chief selector] and I are put in positions without the full backing, the full support of the people who put us there. It is all about trust, if they trust us we can do something, if not, well, then..." Lara said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

Lara did not expand on his comments but it is no secret that members of the WICB's Cricket Committee (Playing & Development) have been extremely critical of his leadership skills.

In the extended interview with the Telegraph's Mark Nicholas, Lara spoke candidly about the record-breaking 400 not out in Antigua, the pain of losing, his batting style and his apparent discomfort against short-pitched bowling...

On the record coming in the midst of a losing period...

"If I could chop my 400 up four times, over the four Tests, in order to have won the series and celebrated with the Wisden Trophy, I would do so. I don't want to be remembered for records, I want to be remembered like Clive Lloyd and Sir Vivian Richards, who must have such joyous memories of series won and of happiness through the team and all across the islands of the Caribbean."

"I learnt from the older heads about what cricket truly meant to our people, about the pride and the passion at every corner, about representing the West Indies in the right way. Though it is only a game, it becomes more than that here and is sensationalised perhaps even beyond its place.

"The modern player does not see it the same way, which is not that he does not regard it as a great honour to play for the West Indies because he does. It's just that, well, in those days the players had to pay for their own tickets; nowadays they get paid for every item they wear on their body. It's different, that's all, and not really better for it."

On what keeps him ticking...

"I have a lot to offer and one day it will come to the surface, but I am too human to tell you in what capacity for it will take its course. What happens, happens for a reason. What people say, they will say, but they are too judgemental. I need room, need space to be a catalyst. As things stand I have no control but a greater being will take me through."

"[It's] not directly religion. Religion has often confused me but there is something there for sure, someone is watching over me."

"The word is trust. People such as Sir Viv and I are put in positions without the full backing, the full support of the people who put us there. It is all about trust, if they trust us we can do something, if not, well, then..."

On the possibility of losing the captaincy...

"I would play on and restructure myself while doing so. I am a servant of West Indies cricket, of my people here and of myself. Of course it can be taken away from me but that is out of my control, my reaction to it is not."

"For some reason, people forget how much I love cricket, that it is my life and has given me so much. If I came back in another life, I wouldn't want to be a golfer - and I do love my golf - or a basketball player, or a footballer, I'd want to be a cricketer again."

On the perceived weakness against short-pitched bowling...

"Believe me, I am a better player now than then, more mature, more understanding of the process of an innings and the threat of an opponent. I have scored more than 2,000 runs in the last 16 Tests, which speaks for itself."

"Hmmm, well, I've got a good record for someone who can't play the short ball. I've made many runs against Australia, South Africa and England."

"I don't hook like I used to because most teams put two men back on the boundary straightaway. And I have never really ducked. Swaying is a problem when the ball follows you and occasionally I've got out fending it off. Fast bowlers have always hunted me, of course they have, and sometimes I have been unsettled but, you know, just look at the record. I am the fastest batsman to 9,000 runs, what else can I say!"

On recapturing the record in Antigua...

"My game is mental. If you are fit you should not run out of steam physically but you can lose concentration. For me it is fun to find ways to make big scores. When I was younger my play was based on flair and flamboyance but now I have matured and am more prepared to accumulate."

"In the Antigua Test we had to avoid a whitewash and on a flat pitch I decided to focus on resisting the new ball, which meant overs 1-15; 81-95; 160-170. In between times the field was set back and it was easier to pick off runs. This is 'my time', the new ball is 'their time'."

On his failures in the first three Tests...

"Maybe it was just a weak period, it's happened before and will happen again. In many ways I have an unstable technique, which, from time to time, needs unravelling. From the start of the series I felt the ball would dominate the bat and England bowled very well, perhaps better than we expected."

"As a principle, I work on keeping my head steady, but have always had a bit of an up and down movement with that little jump across the crease as the bowler delivers. It is a question of degree and for a couple of weeks the degrees were slightly out."

On the importance of family...

"Dad was my driving force. Each Sunday we would be at coaching clinics together and he watched every match I played while growing up. I was first picked in the XII for the West Indies here in Trinidad in 1989 but did not make the final XI."

"Having previously suffered minor heart attacks, Dad had a fatal one on the first day of that game. He told one of my brothers to tell me not to worry anymore, that I had made it and would go on to great things. He is the person I miss the most."

On seeking revenge in England later this summer...

"It may be the last time I play against England there so it could be emotional as well as important. I plan to enjoy every minute, even those cold days in Derby - yeah, I mean it!"