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.....

And if anyone needed proof as to why he sees no reason to carry on, then they weren't watching the runout. When schoolboys or saboteurs (with puffed up chests and below 30 averages) are treated like gods by their homies, there is no reason to stay on.

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



It's funny how many peeps are misinformed about so many things. Oh well.

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.