Watching on as Lara says goodbye
by MICHELLE McDONALD
Everyone knew the press conference would have been full and overflowing. It showed in the many journalists who arrived extra early. Tradition has it that the losing captain is the first to field questions, but this was not your typical post-match press conference.
So when Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC Manager for Media and Communications, announced that Michael Vaughan would be coming first, there was the expectation that Brian Lara was prepared to answer many many questions that Saturday evening.
The journalists were not disappointed. The West Indies Media Officer Imran Khan quipped "we'll not go until midnight please" before he took the first question.
With his daughter Sydney seated to his right, as quiet as a mouse and looking quite pleased, the outgoing West Indies captain Brian Lara first described the emotions he experienced for his final international match. It was instructive that he felt calm going out to bat. Prior to the team's opening World Cup match against Pakistan, Lara had said that he still got butterflies. With the weight of captaincy lifted off his head, he was now as free as a butterfly.
The innings which he intended to carefully build did not materialize, and the controversial run out while batting with Marlon Samuels will be a talking point for a long time to come. "These things happen," he said. "What did Marlon tell you after the run out when he came back into the dressing room? Were there any apologies?" asked a journalist later on. That was greeted with laughter from the group while Lara paused with a slight smile on his face. Imran Khan immediately called for the next question and another journalist had started asking one when Lara interrupted and said "that question is a yes or no so I refuse to answer," the smile getting wider. Everyone was then sure what the truth was.
Usually after a loss, Lara looks weary – irritable even – and the press conferences are no longer than about 15 - 20 minutes. The questions typically have to do with the match, what went wrong and what the team must do to get it right next time. That evening was different, as was the atmosphere in the room. There was very little match analysis. This was the journalists' final opportunity to ask their most important questions surrounding the record holder's 17 year illustrious career and they were not going to waste time on trivial questions about the lost match.
Of his career, Lara was proud. To have spanned such a long period without any major injuries was pleasing to him, and to have taken part in some match-winning innings was special. Lara referred to the 153* at Kensington against Australia in 1999 as well as the solitary test against South Africa at the same venue in 1992, where the West Indies pulled off a remarkable victory.
Pride, passion and commitment were Lara's buzz words for the evening. He talked about his own passion for the game, evidenced in how he prepared before he got on to the field. There was a message for the team mates he was leaving behind. "Just be passionate about the game, commit, but most importantly, prepare, prepare, prepare before you get out in the middle," he said.
Most of his answers came readily, but interestingly, the one he stuttered over was this. "Would you say this West Indies team you are leading is full of passion, full of pride for West Indies cricket?" After pausing for a few seconds, he said that in parts it was there, and further added "the players definitely need to know that the game needs to be played with a lot of passion, and a lot of commitment. I spoke to Dwight Yorke before the South Africa game, the must-win game. I said 'tell me something to say.' He said 'tell your players it's not the will to win, it's the will to prepare to win' and that is where I would love to see the guys spend a lot of time working on their game before they get out in the middle."
Questions were asked surrounding the seemingly sudden decision to retire from Test cricket as well, although he had indicated that he wanted to play into his 40's. He would not give away much. He confirmed that in Antigua, he had participated in selecting the team for the England tour. "Of course I picked myself," he revealed. Then he confirmed that he made his decision in Grenada, that match being on April 10. What went on in West Indies cricket between that meeting in Antigua, and Grenada is what every journalist wanted to find out. But Lara was not telling. We will have to wait on his book perhaps, which he said is in the pipeline. It will certainly be a best-seller.
There were other topics which Brian Lara was not prepared to talk about in the press conference. He did not wish to revisit the captaincy; he did not wish to state who should succeed him; he was insistent on not elaborating on what support he did not get from the West Indies Cricket Board, saying "this is not the time to go back and talk about what I did not get." After mentioning some of the things that the WICB needed to get going, like academies and getting the players fit and prepared to perform well, he ended that segment by saying firmly "what has gone by has gone by, you don't need to go there," stress on don't.
Lara would not be drawn into what he would do in the future. "I just need to walk out of this room and think; go home and relax for a little while," he said. Although admitting "there are things that I am sorry for," he was not prepared to discuss those. His thinking was towards the future. The mornings that he could now take his daughter to school, and days where he could spend more time with her. Lara was asked if Sydney was happy about that. Smiling, father turned to daughter whose eyes had by now lit up brightly like stadium lights. Sydney nodded her head with glee. That was one more thing which told him he had made the right decision.
But there had been no doubt about that in Lara's mind. "I knew that it was the right time to call it a day and to let the younger players take West Indies cricket and maybe we can see some change in the near future," he said.
One Caribbean journalist thanked him for all he had done for the game and asked him if he were an administrator, what changes he would like to see implemented. There was laughter from everyone including the outgoing West Indies captain who then said "let's have a beer over that! But it's a very good question, but as I said at this present time, I just want to enjoy my time. I am not lost to West Indies cricket. I will never be lost to West Indies cricket. I know that I couldn't do the business on the field, getting the team into winning mode or getting West Indies cricket back to the top but it doesn't mean that I am lost to West Indies cricket. I still have a very important part to play and when that time comes, you can ask your questions, or you might be firing some criticisms at me, I don't know!" More laughter all around, attesting to the light and free atmosphere in the now hot room. The air conditioning unit had to be switched off because it was interfering with the sound. No one was bothered.
Towards the end, Lara spoke about the support from the fans and what it had meant to please them for 17 years. "I've had a lot of high periods and a lot of low periods, but to put a smile on people's face is important, and to see the crowd support today said that I must have done something good. I'm just happy to know that I've done that and I've left the game knowing that people were proud of my performance, people were happy, they were thankful and they mentioned it today a lot, and it brought tears to my eyes," he said.
After approximately 45 minutes, Lara's last post-match match press conference as an international player came to an end. There was applause from everyone, bar none. Then journalists showed that they too are fans and, sensing the significance of the occasion, crowded the head table to shake hands with the world record holder for batting, for the most runs in Test cricket, for the highest first class score.
They also found any and everything for Brian Lara to autograph – their media press box ticket; the match programme, a sheet of paper, and one person even presented their accreditation pass for signature! Father and daughter posed for the cameras, and then, taking her by the shoulder, he turned and walked through the door, waving as he left, never to come through a door like that again.