Brian Lara (Captain), Sarwan (deputy)

[Top_Cat]

That's why I think Chanderpaul would have been a good choice, he's a gritty player. Look at the captains around the world...Nasser Hussain - Gritty Player, Steve Waugh - Gritty Player, hell even Ganguly has turned himself into a gritty Test Batsman. You don't need flair, you need grit to get the runs when the pressure is on or the wickets, this is why I think Lara will be a failure again, he has the ability but he would rather use it on blasting a 60 ball 100 rather than playing 2 days for 150, it would bore him. And as TC said, it was the team that suffered last time.

Funny you should mention something like that, Rik. In the 4th (final) Test of the last Test series between Aus and the WI in the WI, Lara hit a hundred off around 80 balls.................and the WI still lost the match. They really needed him to stick around in that match but he gloved a ball to Healy down the leg-side just after he passed his hundred. He was looking a million dollars until that point. After that, the WI fell in a heap. If he'd stuck around, I have little doubt the WI would have won back the Frank Worrell Trophy.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

No, Shiv Chanderpaul is.

Would you like to explain these qualifications? Have you ever seen Chanderpaul captain? I have, when he captained Guyana.

1/ He doesn't seem to want the capataincy.
2/ He's not a very innovative captain and, like his batting, he is quite defensive.
3/ Some players just aren;t cut out for captaincy. There are some players who you just can't picture as captain- he's one.

No disrespect to Chanders- great player.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

this is why I think Lara will be a failure again, he has the ability but he would rather use it on blasting a 60 ball 100 rather than playing 2 days for 150, it would bore him. And as TC said, it was the team that suffered last time.

How can you fault the only West Indian who scored any decent runs in that Test?!?! That's stupid and ignorant.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I would have made Marlon Samuels the captain if they were going for youth. If not, give it to Ridley Jacobs. He could teach them something about grit.

Agreed Jacobs is a gritty player but he's not a very good tactician. Lara is a brillisnt tactician. He captain T&T superbly and started very well versus India and England for West Indies.

Re Marlon, what gives you the impression of him being captaincy material? IMO, Sarwan is the man. As stated above, whcih people like Rik ignored, is that Sarwan is being groomed for the job as VC. Lara is a at temporary duty right now.

Lara himself has said that he would prefer not to take the captaincy. However, like a true sportsman, he said that he would in order to fullfil what he considers his proffesional duty.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

This makes for interesting reading.

http://www.windiescricket.com/Article.asp?id=139929

 

[Top_Cat]

Re Marlon, what gives you the impression of him being captaincy material?

Last I saw, he looked to be the more technically mature players in the team. He reminds me very much of a younger Steve Waugh. In short, I have no tangible reasons just a hunch.

Lara himself has said that he would prefer not to take the captaincy. However, like a true sportsman, he said that he would in order to fullfil what he considers his proffesional duty.

Every time I've heard a player say something like that, they inevitably fail. If he didn't want the captaincy, he shouldn't have taken it. My opinion? He's under pressure from the WICB to take the captaincy and considering his relationship in the past with them has been less than cordial, it's possible they threatened to drop him unless he took the captaincy.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

it's possible they threatened to drop him unless he took the captaincy.

No. They're not stupid. They did not threaten to drop Lara if he refused. If he refused, Hooper would be the captain. He stated (in the article which I posted the link for above) that :-

"It would be a dereliction in my duty, if I was presented with the job and turn it down."

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Every time I've heard a player say something like that, they inevitably fail.

When was the last time?

 

[R_Powell_fan]

Rik- in the last series against SA brian Lara highest scores WERE in fact not scored at a brisk rate at all, in some of them everybody was crumbling around him while he stood his ground and didn't try to take any chances.....

 

[Rik]

Rik- you are saying that Steven Waugh will grind out centuries when his team are in trouble and Lara more of an indivigual. Well since Lara came back from his self-imposed assylum he has changed.....just look at the innings... I don't remember them all but his 92* against SA right when he came back he batted on and stood tall when the youngsters in the team faltered, he batted way out of character and didn't really attack the SA bowlers, look at his 111* against Bangladesh in the ICC Champions trophy, the guy is really commited to the team and younger players. Although he didn't do a very good job of it first up which was I think due to some self-imposed pressure, hope he does not succumb to that this time and does well.
I don't think Ridley Jacobs is not really a good captain technically.

Rik- before you go on harping, check the FACTS, the STATS which tell you the decision to bring Hooper back from retirement was not a bad one. Okay he may have a very low win rate percentage but, he has given the youngsters so much confidence, he has been a refreshing sight, before the Indian test series he averaged just under 50 in batting as captain in tests. He really was a great sight when he first came back....unfortunately his old knees have been telling him to hang up his boots, the man was a classic underachiever up until he came back when he finally showed that he is class.... He has said that he doesn't want to go on and take a youngster's place if he isn't retained as captain. So farewell Hooper and thanks...

Lara might have changed but when I saw him over here in 2000 he was still as attacking as ever. I have checked the stats and I think if you check them too you will realise that Lara only won one Test while he was captain, and that was off his own bat.

As for your blast about Hooper, did I actually say the guy was a mistake or he didn't do a good job? Nope, in fact I asked what would happen to him, so you can calm down now.

 

[Rik]

How can you fault the only West Indian who scored any decent runs in that Test?!?! That's stupid and ignorant.

No it's noting that he threw it away just when his team didn't need him to.

 

[Rik]

Rik- in the last series against SA brian Lara highest scores WERE in fact not scored at a brisk rate at all, in some of them everybody was crumbling around him while he stood his ground and didn't try to take any chances.....

Wasn't that the 5-0 thumping? The only batsman to stand up in that series was Ridley Jacobs who averaged 45, Lara averaged 31 and could not stop getting out to Donald. His strike rate in Tests is about 60, most people's is only 50. He may have changed but I have not see him lately and all I have in my mind is when he kept on throwing it away in 2000.

 

[aussie_beater]

Lara only won one Test while he was captain...

What were you smoking when you looked up those stats ?

Lara's captaincy record for WI in tests is -

Played = 18
Won = 6
Drawn = 2
Lost = 10

 

[Rik]

What were you smoking when you looked up those stats ?

Lara's captaincy record for WI in tests is -

Played = 18
Won = 6
Drawn = 2
Lost = 10

Ahhh sorry. And no I don't smoke. All I remember from Lara's captaincy days were crushing defeats along with a total mess with players coming and going all the time. The West Indies have improved so much, and under Lara they could very easily slip back, I feel he's like Sachin, best left to do his job and not have to worry about everyone else's.

 

[aussie_beater]

Ahhh sorry. And no I don't smoke. All I remember from Lara's captaincy days were crushing defeats along with a total mess with players coming and going all the time. The West Indies have improved so much, and under Lara they could very easily slip back, I feel he's like Sachin, best left to do his job and not have to worry about everyone else's.

Oh yes, I agree with you on that count.... that the jury is still out on Lara's captaincy skills and it remains to be seen whether he is any good on that job, but to be fair to him we have to quote the right stats.

As for the smoking part.....well, something called pot could make a person see one-sixth of a fact .....just kidding pal

 

[Rik]

Oh yes, I agree with you on that count.... that the jury is still out on Lara's captaincy skills and it remains to be seen whether he is any good on that job, but to be fair to him we have to quote the right stats.

As for the smoking part.....well, something called pot could make a person see one-sixth of a fact .....just kidding pal

Yeah soz I got the stats wrong...sorry :P

Smoking...nasty habbit that I've never been "cool" or bored enough to pick up

 

[R_Powell_fan]

Lara as captain? That's almost as bad as bringing back Hooper from retirement to be skipper.

What's going to happen to Hooper?

Rik-Here you said the decision to bring back Hooper was bad.... The squad was released today and he will play as a player not as a captain.

As for your blast about Hooper, did I actually say the guy was a mistake or he didn't do a good job? Nope, in fact I asked what would happen to him, so you can calm down now.

I wasn't angry or annoyed, just felt the facts were that Hooper's comeback was a good call.

 

[Rik]

Rik-Here you said the decision to bring back Hooper was bad.... The squad was released today and he will play as a player not as a captain.

I wasn't angry or annoyed, just felt the facts were that Hooper's comeback was a good call.

When I said "This is almost as bad as bringing Hooper back from retirement" I ment it not in that bringing Hooper back was a mistake, I ment that putting Lara as captain looks as bad as when Hooper waltzed back into the team and was given the captaincy, no questions asked, after he had retired suddenly a few years before and left the team without one of it's best bastmen. I think Hooper did a fine job, just when he was given the captaincy it looked like a mistake. This is mainly a young team, why not give someone else the captaincy rather than giving it back to someone who did a very poor job 1st time and has often said he doesn't want it.

 

[R_Powell_fan]

Sorry Rik....... but the the sentence " ......is just as bad as ...." certainly implies you think the decision to recall Hooper was a bad one and the recent one regarding Lara is worse...try to phrase you ideas better.....not that mine are that well phrased


Well you think "Hooper did a fine job" but his capatainacy record is just as bad as Lara's.....how come. Also, the decision to bring back Hooper was based on Merit and Experience as he came back, played in the Busta Cup and got an increadbile 960 odd runs in the 9 matches played......Also he had lots of experience so he got the captainacy....

 

[Anil]

Crikey Rik, are you praising those players that don't play Test cricket at breakneck speed?

More than that, he is actually praising Ganguly...!!!!???? Never thought I'll see the day.....:O