Atherton's scathing views on Brian Lara and his legacy

[marc71178]

So why are you not playing Brian.

I believe he rejected the call because they wouldn't extend it to all those initially left out.

 

[Slats4ever]

You know that Lara has returned right?

yes

 

[honestbharani]

"Amidst speculation over possible industrial action by regional cricketers this weekend, champion West Indies batsman Brian Lara has told youngsters the game is more than about money."

So why are you not playing Brian.

Brian Lara's contract was never questioned. He made the deal when Cable and Wireless were still sponsoring the West Indies and therefore, his contract does not and DID NOT stand in the way of his selection in the side. He only stood up for his fellow team-mates, whom, he felt, were being treated unfairly.


BTW, I agree with Brian here. If the deal with Digicel was not finalised when Gayle, Sarwan and the others entered into contracts with C and W, then how can the board penalize them? I mean, the board DON'T own the players and even if they did, they only entered into contracts with the THEN team sponsor. I am sorry, I think the WI board are the villains here, at least, IMHO.


There is no denying that Lara has done a few selfish things in the past but if he has realized his mistakes and wants to turn over a new leaf (which he has done, BTW, since 1999 series Vs Australia) then why keep bringing up the old stuff? He has admitted that he has done some terrible things in the past and juz wants to change all that. And frankly, I have NOT seen a more committed West Indian player in the last 5 years or so. Leading a side when a player got injured every week and being thrashed day in and day out...... and still he managed to keep them together and keep their spirits high enough to win a big ODI tournament. Don't care about the pitches, don't care about opposition, a side which lost to EVERYONE (almost lost to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe as well) to have come back and won a big tourny speaks volumes of the man's leadership. Before 99, he may have been a spoilt brat but since then, he has played with the greatest spirit and verve for the West Indies and those who overlook that are only doing so because they don't like him (for some reason). And obviously, Atherton is one of them. I mean, the guy only wrote this piece because it would bring in good sales. Wonder where he would keep his mouth if Lara leads the Windies to a victory over RSA in this series.



And to say that he is a bad influence on youngsters is just unadulterated crap. He MAY HAVE been so in the past, but guys like Gayle, Hinds, Sarwan, Edwards, Best, Bravo are all people that he brought into the side and they have always said that they have been encouraged by watching Lara and that he was always there on their side, supporting them. EVeryone who have said something about Lara not being committed to the game need to rethink their own feelings about him. I don't like Lara as much as like Sachin (as a cricketer) because Sachin has never done the negative stuff that Lara has done. But if Lara has moved on and gotten better and put all that behind him, then the haters have got to see all that. Every recent outing only shows how committed Lara is and this sponsorship fracas had nothing to do with him, it was ALWAYS about Gayle, Sarwan and the like and Lara only stood with them in their hour of crisis.

 

[honestbharani]

hey don't say things like that man...what do you have against colorado?

nothing, really. Juz was the first place that came to my mind, for some reason. Touchwood, the stuff I say never happens though. Read the Ind Vs Pak thread for confirmation.

 

[honestbharani]

i really liked that article... the rest of the players in the team must be feeling pretty hopeless when lara's rated above all them. now they can do they're own thing they'll surprise. good luck to em.

How is any of that Lara's fault? Are you saying it was wrong of him to have been significantly better in batting (AND FIELDING, I may add) than them?

 

[Slats4ever]

no it's not wrong, but nevertheless that doesn't take away from how the others feel

 

[honestbharani]

Doesn't make the need for peace any less relevant.

You're talking about the credibility of the person, not the validity of the point.

I am saying that the validity of any point depends on the credibility of a person. I don't care what a person says as long as he doesn't mean it. I mean, if a friend tells you that "he will kill you", would you take that seriously? It is obviously said in jest and you are not looking into the 'validity' of his point. You are, rather, looking into 'what he actually meant'. Similarly, if Atherton lectures about what WI cricket needs, I wouldn't even read a line of it because I know that he really doesn't care about the WI cricket. All he cares about is to get his article to sell. That is why he attacks Lara here, because more people would buy it if Lara is thrashed than if Lara is praised. Same with some writers in India bashing Sachin. They don't even care one millionth of what Sachin cares about Indian cricket and yet, they would write articles about what Indian cricket needs. If they were so damn worried about Indian cricket, why don't they go upto the officials of BCCI to say all this? Same with Athers here, he juz wrote this to make cash. Full stop. I mean, I bet if you write a scathing article (heck, even a book) on Don Bradman, it would sell MAD. Does that mean that you actually care about Australian Cricket?

 

[Son Of Coco]

I love how these former players suddenly grow a voice after they have retired, how about when they're still playing?

Cowards!

haha, I don't think they're able to say exactly what they think whilst playing due to the fact that they can then be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

 

[howardj]

Similarly, if Atherton lectures about what WI cricket needs, I wouldn't even read a line of it because I know that he really doesn't care about the WI cricket.

That's a strange thought process. You do not need to care about something to make constructive, valuable comment regarding it. For instance, I dont care about my neighbour's lawn, but a way they could improve it, would be to mow it and plant some little plants.

 

[Mister Wright]

haha, I don't think they're able to say exactly what they think whilst playing due to the fact that they can then be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

That shouldn't change when they retire IMO.

 

[honestbharani]

That's a strange thought process. You do not need to care about something to make constructive, valuable comment regarding it. For instance, I dont care about my neighbour's lawn, but a way they could improve it, would be to mow it and plant some little plants.

But you don't get it. A person who actually cares about your neighbour's lawn would make a well thought out suggestion than one who doesn't care about it. I mean, let us say you are travelling to a whole new place and you know nothing about that place. Would you listen to your family and friends (who care about you) about what to eat and where to stay or to some stranger (who cares SQUAT about you). Whose advice is more likely to be right, then?

 

[honestbharani]

haha, I don't think they're able to say exactly what they think whilst playing due to the fact that they can then be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

So after they retire, they can parade their idiocy all they want? I think it is high time ICC does something about this....... Guys like Bedi and now Athers are just becoming a bunch of jokers...

 

[howardj]

But you don't get it. A person who actually cares about your neighbour's lawn would make a well thought out suggestion than one who doesn't care about it. I mean, let us say you are travelling to a whole new place and you know nothing about that place. Would you listen to your family and friends (who care about you) about what to eat and where to stay or to some stranger (who cares SQUAT about you). Whose advice is more likely to be right, then?

That only makes the advice more well-intentioned- not necessarily more worth listening to. Same with Atherton, just because he may not care about WI cricket, may make his advice/thoughts less well-intentioned than say Gary Sobers, but it does not make his advice/thoughts any less worth listening to.

 

[howardj]

So after they retire, they can parade their idiocy all they want? I think it is high time ICC does something about this....... Guys like Bedi and now Athers are just becoming a bunch of jokers...

Yeah why don't they gag everyone, and we can just have a synchophantic, hero-worshipping cricket media, where every player just gets told how good they are.

 

[marc71178]

That shouldn't change when they retire IMO.

Why shouldn't it?

By that token no Cricketer would go into the media for fear of upsetting someone and getting hauled over the coals.

 

[honestbharani]

Well, I guess I was wrong about this gagging past cricketers thing, but I still think what Athers said was just to gain publicity. And I don't see how his comments are worth anything, seeing that most of it is false anyway.

 

[honestbharani]

That only makes the advice more well-intentioned- not necessarily more worth listening to. Same with Atherton, just because he may not care about WI cricket, may make his advice/thoughts less well-intentioned than say Gary Sobers, but it does not make his advice/thoughts any less worth listening to.

We are going around in circles on this one. What I am saying is that only a guy with the best intentions is more likely to give the right advice, atleast from my experience and that is why I keep saying that they should listen to more of what guys like Sobers has to say than someone like Athers.... Plus, I think a person's credibility should always count towards finding out the credibility of what he says. I mean, I would rather listen to Gavaskar talk about what is wrong with Indian cricket than, say, Dean Jones. The point is that, generally, the advice of those who care is more pertinent than of those who don't. That has been my experience in life so far, not sure about yours.

 

[vvk]

It's impossible to gag ex-cricketers, although the ICC could have a code of conduct or something similar for these individuals in the future. But, I believe he can say whatever he wants - but he will lack the credibility because he is essentially commenting on a topic which he lacks sufficient inside knowledge in order to make such judgements.

 

[maxpower]

an there goes Lara again scoring one of his centuries !!!!!

 

[Legglancer]

Damn ! Lara is Single handedly carrying the West Indies team on his shoulders again ...... Does he ever Learn ?

I tell you he will be sorry oneday for not playing more like that mediocre Jacka$$ atherton !