by MICHELLE McDONALD

Brian Lara held the final post-match press conference of his international career today at Kensington Oval in Barbados. It was a press conference with a difference.

More on that to come, but in the meantime, here are snippets of what he told the packed room of journalists today. Full Story

Thanks Yamz!

Man this man is no ordinary human. When was the last time a West Indian cricketer commanded this much of an audience to say he was leaving? Ever?

More details from the press conference

Samuels didn't even say sorry

In reply to Surya

Damn, Samuels really lookin wussa and wussa in all this.

In reply to Zikdaman

Answer me honestly, when this whole Kochar thing broke, what was your take on it?

Cause I rememember, along with redbaron and rikiniki, publicly calling on these board for him to be hung out to dry for it....

...and that incident was only part of the picture....everything about Marlon Samuels character screamed bad news....always believing he was entitled to more than he was given...

...his ambition rivaled McBeth....

In reply to Zikdaman

The sad thing is, he is too dunce and wrapped up in his nastymindedness to realise how to behave on a day like today with millions of eyes on him. The world saw him for what he was and many many people were plain disgusted, even people who had no ill-feeling about him before. Chrissy is 100% right when she says this is what he will be most remembered for. :twisted:

In reply to ends

In reply to zimzimma

Listen, I replay that whole fugging thing over and over in my head all day....

..only Lara's magical words "Did I entertain?" managed to take me off it.

In reply to ends

In reply to ends Honestly that was the only thing that interrupted my tears, for anger took over when that idiot ran the Maestro out!
I was doubly hurt when someone posted "literally ran out of cricket"..
No one can run Brian Lara out of cricket..He decides his fate!

In reply to Surya

May be crossy can answer...
For me it looked like it was a setup
Unfortunate for Brian for both in Trinidad and here being run outs.

i thought this was sad...

In reply to Zikdaman Two words describe him..
Senseless asshole!
That's all I have got to say about Marlon Samuels..

In reply to SamlordPirate


If all some of them could find to focus on is negativity then it really is too bad for them, not him. They need to focus on themselves and not on other people. That said, the article painted a much worse picture than what really took place.

In reply to Surya

what the article I'm sure didn't tell you (and I confess I didnt read it before posting!) is that when the person asked the question (which I didnt hear too well), Imran Khan ignored it and called the next journalist to ask a question. Lara sat there looking like " how di hell you expect me to answer that?". He was smiling and then said that the question begged a yes or no answer so he would leave it at that.

I'm sure the response was no. (skunt....can I say that here? :lol:)

BUt anyway, one must look at the bigger picture and hingsight is always 20/20. Marlon could have sacrificed his wicket to give the big man the stage, and then Lara could have been out next ball and our score would have been much lower :wink: (That's just to appease the anti-Lara peeps!)

In reply to Zikdaman

There was no wussa to look.

And yes Zimma, the article is not accurate. There were WI guards of honour as well. It is really interesting that BBC showed them but that Sky and CMC chose not to show them.
Ah well

There is no doubt in my mind that Lara is one of the greatest, if not the greatest batsman that ever lived. I cannot believe how he was run out yesterday - and I can't believe that Samuels couldn't do the decent thing and say sorry for ruining the great man's exit.

I was not privileged enough to see his 375 and 400 live - but I was glued to them both on TV. Think I saw every ball of the 375. The golden summer that followed that 375 was the most awesome batting display ever in County Cricket - 7 centuries in 8 innings for Warwickshire followed by that magical 501 not out. And the strength of will he displayed whenever he was backed into a corner - whenever all his detractors thought he was finished - he came out fighting. He'd done nothing for the whole of the 2003/2004 England tour, and then, amid loud shouts for his head, he scores 400 not out to silence all doubters and give Australia one in the eye. That innings was a supreme personal triumph. And there is no doubt that his 153 to salvage WI pride against Australia in 1999 was probably his best innings - despite the records. I find it hard to see how anyone else could get close to what he achieved.

He was the WICB's greatest asset and they wasted him. Instead of working with him to harness his strength of will and supreme talent and directing it to help the team, they totally surrendered and let West Indies cricket career out of control - hence the mess we are in now. Things could have been so different if they had done what any decent management team would do and exercise control.

If they had - then that press conference would have been a total celebration of the man and his legacy. Instead we had to see him squirm as all the usual questions about his track record as a team player and captain got thrown at him. Not how the great man should have gone out.... But as he said - at least he got to say goodbye and wasn't consigned to the scrap heap like Desmond Haynes amongst others.

In reply to SamlordPirate

Just shows, how immature our players are....the people who we demand maturity and professionalism from are too ignorant to understand what they have to do.....Being in the team to them is not a start it is the end.

In reply to Jimmy

Hear! Hear! Couldn't have said it better myself. Being in the team gets them attention and money - which for them is the end of the journey. They don't stop to think for a single second that one has to work and train hard for the privilege - and that they actually need to win to keep earning the privileges. And they don't understand that what they do and say drags WI cricket down into the mud and pulls all of those of us who hold WI cricket dear down with them.....

In reply to Chrissy

And that is why the whole system needs radical surgery. We need a new attitude in the WICB; they need to start to listen to those of our former greats that are offering constructive criticism of the system. And until they understand that all bad attitude (no matter who the player is) needs to be nipped in the bud - preferably by telling those concerned that they will not play for WI until they prove that they have grown up and learned how to behave - then we will continue to see nonsense like this happening.

In reply to SamlordPirate

What does that tell you about Lara?? Again, this is another clear manifestation that he simply was not a team person. Ridley Jacobs had no reason to lie when he described the selfishness of Lara after he (Jacobs) retired. Many on this MB just don't get the fact that cricket is a TEAM sport. It serves little purpose when Lara wins the battle (blasting opposing bowlers all over) and the team loses the war (test match). A captain must be able to inspire his men and Lara could not. He had three stints to do same and failed miserably. It therefore did not surprise me that his "send off" by his team mates was at best lukewarm.

In reply to Chrissy

In reply to Fortis

that captain talk is junk u need 20 wickets to win a test match tell me who we capable of getting 20 wickets for less than a 1,000 runs per match captain inspiration my rass.they say border was a great captain and we were beating the aussies u need players boss

In reply to BourdaGyal

Lara shoulda known better than to tell Sammy he goin destroy his career when Sammy told him what he thought of his captaincy.

Even worm have their chance to screw rooster.

In reply to Commie

Oh lawd.

I sooooo not in the know.

If that scenario did in fact play out ..then both Lara and Samuels are asses of the highest order.

In reply to Cheeks

Look. Big, important, GREAT men, behave petty too. We sometimes gloss over it, as we have with alot of our former greats. They all had women (maybe some even had man too) all used to have their issues with other players etc. Lara is no different.

In reply to Commie

Nothing wrong with making the threat, but make sure u follow through..

As Eli Wallach said, 'when you come to shoot, shoot - don't talk'

:lol: :lol:

In reply to Commie

Fair enough. But Samuels had to know that he couldn't win this in the long run.

In reply to Cheeks

Does Sammy strike you as being a deep thinker?

He acts in the now.....

In reply to Cheeks

But a small jook for a worm on a rooster is a win.

Sammy has a choice. Become great and that will be part of your legend. Stay mediocre and it will be the highlight (or lowlight) of your career :)

In reply to Commie

Is there a thing as bad publicity? Marlon's name will live on :)

In reply to kami

There is a thing called bad publicity. Its called notoriety.

In reply to Commie

Nowadays the lines blurred. Notoriety is actually celebrated

You don't see how we love up our drug barons

In reply to kami

Which Drug Baron you love?

In reply to Larr Pullo

Am a little smarter than the average bear :)

In reply to kami

Well thats not so unusual, most of the drug dealers grew up amongst us, we knew them before they took up their trade, and they were good people mostly. So it is easy to overlook the bad they do and only see the good.

I have a good bredren who was a kingpin in GT and now being held in DC by the feds, now i didn't agree with his chosen profession, but to me he was still the same as I knew him growing up.

Samuels owes us 50 more runs..he scored his 50 but he owes us the extra 50 minimum from Lara.
I hope Samuels matures in every way and humbles himself in a hurry. It does not help that Yardies blindly argue for him when mentally he needs to be corrected. We all win when he does well but delusions of grandeur only serve to hurt West Indies Cricket. Samuels MUST become a great batsman and get into the top ten consistently because for the next few years of his career he will always be known as the man who ran out Brian Lara. none of us can dispute that.

In reply to Commie

OOKKK.... Didn't know that one. This is where the lack of effective management has caused damage. From what I hear this kind of thing has happened more than once and should never have been allowed to continue to happen. Surely if we on this board know of such things then the WI management must. One man should never be allowed to be bigger than the game - whoever he is... And the rewards of their strategy are being reaped today.

In reply to Larr Pullo

In reply to kami

In reply to notinsular

Ummmm...wrong about my nationality...As far as I know drug barons can be found on every caribbean island. No, I not shame about my 7 year old self at all at all

In reply to powen001

Well the link is not that straightforward. Allegedly he was into the export side...and many make the argument that the importers should try to control the demand instead of attacking the supply. However, with the alleged proceeds, he used to help a lot of people in the community. So would the good he did ameliorate some of the alleged bad?

In reply to kami

You were at the height of your cuteness then.... :) :)

In reply to Larr Pullo

Ahem....Lies

In reply to kami

Typical Trini response Kami. Forgive them as they feel de hurt. Little does that ass know that Trinis are BIG in the drug trade and a canadian couple were murdered in TnT a few years ago due to that very same drugs ting. Big rass news here.

In reply to kami

In reply to notinsular

"notinsular"? :roll:

The entire press conference

In reply to Chrissy

Check yuh pm. :D

In reply to Chrissy


great...that saves me time!

Must move into the 22nd century technology wise. :roll:

In reply to Yamfoot

In reply to Chrissy Thanks for the link

Wesley

I hope the rumour that Gordon has quit is definitely true, as in addition to Lara, Bennett King and Bradshaw have called it quits. These are some of the changes that were needed before now.

http://www.jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20070423/lead/lead1.html

In reply to Fortis

FOAG :twisted:

class as usual from de man.

In reply to Commie

In reply to kami

In reply to Cleg

To replace who?