Moves Afoot to Replace Lara as Captain?

Now that the arbitrator has ruled that cricketers did not need permission to sign private endorsement deals with Cable & Wireless, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) wants the WICB to "immediately" name the captain and team for the upcoming one-day series in Australia.

"We trust that the delay in naming the team does not arise from any attempt by the Board to sidestep the appointed adjudicator on Clause 1k, whose decision is binding and was released on December 16 and which endorsed WIPA?s position," said WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine in a statement.

"[We] continue to insist that the best team based on cricketing criteria is selected," Ramnarine added.

Judging from public statements made by WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite, it appears the board was planning to drop the players with C&W endorsements if the arbitrator's ruling was in the WICB's favour.

"What the selectors have done is they have catered for various contingencies. They have identified 14 players and a number of back-ups to cater for whatever comes out of the meeting with the prime minister," Brathwaite said.

CaribbeanCricket.com understands that the WICB's executive committee is meeting by teleconference this weekend to digest the arbitrator's interpretation, which amounts to a major loss for the board.

An announcement on the composition of the final team is not expected until Monday but that could change "at the drop of a hat," according to a WICB director familiar with the situation.

Another matter up for discussion is the captaincy and there are rumours swirling that the WICB is under pressure from Digicel to replace Brian Lara as captain.

The selectors have nominated a captain and vice-captain (believed to be Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan) but the procedure calls for the WICB's directors to ratify those appointments.

Coach Bennett King has publicly stated his intention to retain Lara as captain.

Normally, the West Indies captain is announced ahead of the full team and the absence of any word from the WICB on Lara's retention has raised eyebrows throughout the Caribbean.

Lara has been a visible ambassador for C&W in recent months when he travelled around the Caribbean comforting victims of Hurricane Ivan but, although his C&W deal was approved by the WICB, it is no secret that rival Digicel is very unhappy with the situation.

When the Digicel deal was announced during the West Indies tour of England, Lara did not show up for the festivities. During that series, he had a conspicuous C&W logo plastered on the back of his MRF-branded bat.

Former Digicel CEO Seamus Lynch, in an interview with CaribbeanCricket.com back in August, used very strong language to reacted to Lara's absence from the signing ceremony.

"It was very upsetting not to have the West Indies captain at the launch of a major sponsorship deal. He made his decision not to go and he obviously has his own motives and reasons. He is getting a financial incentive from our competitor," Lynch said.

"It is up to the captain to show leadership to his players. With the team going through this transition, the captain has an obligation to look out for the future of West Indies cricket. He has a great reputation as a cricketer but it could all be tarnished over this. It depends on Lara himself to take a very strong view in terms of what he wants his legacy to be," the Digicel CEO added.

If the directors overturn the selectors' recommendations and opt for a new captain , it won't be the first time. In 1997, the WICB under Pat Rousseau rejected the nomination of Lara as captain instead of Courtney Walsh, a move that set prompted a stroke rebuke from cricket authorities in Trinidad & Tobago.

The TTCBC adopted a resolution at its AGM alleging there was a "calculated plot to tarnish the image and international reputation" of the country's cricket and using Lara's "past indiscretions as the basis for sowing the seeds of destruction."

At the time, T&T board said it would "stand in defence of its captain, national hero and its world-class performer."

If it happens again, a similar reaction is bound to be forthcoming. T&T's cricket chief Alloy Lequay has already warned the board against imposing a foreign head coach on Brian Lara unless issues of authority and empowerment are fleshed out in advance.

** Also see my weblog entry on the backdoor move to have WICB coaching manager Darren Holder join Bennett King's staff.