Former West Indies captain Brian Lara highlighted lack of funds and technology as factors in the team's recent decline, but also called upon the players to show more passion in order to compete better.

After West Indies' defeat to India in the first Test in Ahmedabad, Test captain Roston Chase highlighted "infrastructure problems" and the continuous "struggle for finances" in the Caribbean. This was touched upon by the cricket strategy and officiating committee of Cricket West Indies, of which Lara and Chase are both a part. 

"If you want to get things done, you have to have the capital to do it. So that is a major part," Lara said on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday. "But at the same time, I would like to ask Roston Chase and the other guys to... do they have the cricket at heart? Do they really want to play for West Indies? And that is the most important thing because you would find a way.

"I mean we did not have better facilities 30-40 years ago. Viv Richards didn't bat on any better practice pitches or anything. We had to do the same thing, the same grind; but the passion was different. The passion to play for West Indies was different. So I urge the young players to realise that this is a wonderful opportunity. And I am almost sure that every single one of their parents would have had in the back of their mind, their son playing for the West Indies, their son doing well for the West Indies because it meant a lot back in those days.

 

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Too late Mr. Lara, the horse is already out of the stable. You and others with voice could have spoken up early to keep that in check, but you joined in support of their every excuse. But, what is happening now is what some of us had foreseen, and this is where we did not want West Indies cricket to end up. If the right people had said the right things at the time, it is possible that we might have been able to manage the behaviour of our players to help them to, at least, see the importance of giving time to West Indies cricket. All voices of note, including great past players and Prime ministers, joined them in blaming everybody else for every fault, never willing to teach them to take responsibility for anything. Now, as the inevitable has occurred, and as we face humiliation day after day, suddenly we are concerned that players don't have interest in playing for West Indies. Did you not realize that the unconditional support you gave them would eventually come back to haunt us? It was very possible for the players to make tons of money under the new cricket environment while preserving West Indies cricket. We would have created much more millionaires over the long term if we did that right.

Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 1:44 PM

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Subject: RE: BPL NOC Request

Dear Chris,

"...It is WICB’s position that, if a player wishes to play official cricket and to be considered for selection to play for the West Indies, and whether or not he signs a retainer contract, he must expect NOCs to be issued subject to international commitments, in accordance with the rules of the ICC which govern the overseas tournaments in which he wishes to play. WICB does not have the resources to match the amounts of money that players can earn from playing in the IPL and certain other overseas domestic tournaments. WICB's approach is to permit players to play in the IPL and other overseas domestic tournaments wherever possible, subject only to international commitments. This approach, in WICB’s view, has to be adopted for all players ("FTS Players" i.e. first team squad players) who are (or would be regarded as) members of the current first team squad and who purport to make themselves available for selection, and are eligible for selection (or, rather, not ineligible for selection for the foreseeable future), whether they have signed retainer contracts or not. If FTS Players were automatically granted unconditional NOCs for every overseas domestic tournament in which they wished to play, this would, in effect, allow any FTS Player to make himself available for selection for the West Indies only for matches where he could not find a better paid alternative.

WICB believes that asking an FTS Player who requests an NOC to play in an overseas domestic tournament to accept a condition that he make himself available, if selected, for international commitments which may clash with that tournament, is justifiable. If a player has no contractual obligation to WICB and does not wish to make himself available to play in international matches for which he may be selected, then he has the option of ceasing to be a FTS Player, by retiring from international cricket, or otherwise declaring himself ineligible and/or unavailable for selection for the foreseeable future.  In that event, WICB would not consider it necessary or appropriate to issue a player with anything but an unconditional NOC.

So, Chris, it is your choice, whether you receive a conditional or unconditional NOC. But you cannot have an unconditional NOC and be considered for selection to play for the West Indies. Either you wish to make yourself available to play for the West Indies, in which case you must accept that NOCs will be granted to you on the same conditional terms as other international players, or you do not, in which case you can have your unconditional NOC. All that is required from you is a clear statement, one way or the other..."

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Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 8:01 AM

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Dear Ernest:

"I am in receipt of your January 17, 2012 E-mail. From the onset I must express my disappointment with your continued refusal to allow me to freely ply my trade, the imposition of unacceptable conditions and restrictions on the terms of my employment, and the continued attempts to manipulate my career, all while refusing to respond to my demands for an end to the  WICB's tirade and an explanation in clear terms what exactly I have done to deserve this unacceptable treatment. At the end of the day, the WICB is playing with my professional development and livelihood for their own selfish gain..."

Those of you myopic posters better keep your other end shut. The visionary among us saw this coming from miles.

This was 2012 when most saw it from a purely "renstraint of trade perspective."

Allyuh have no legitimacy now to bemoan the shit West Indies cricket has become. SHUT THE "F" UP.

Lara is right… Chase and Hope should be able to stay at the crease and bat. They should have accrued enough time in the nets and gym and pool to support this.

Maybe they needed more than a couple weeks to prepare.

Maybe they and the coach could have opted out the CPL and practice real cricket.

@Halliwell

But what is even more germane is this: Where was Lara when the platonic shifts were taking place in 2010?