Lara's rough ride

It was a rough ride at the top for Brian Lara as he tried to turn around the fortunes of West Indies cricket.

The Trinidadian left-hander first took on the role of Test captain in Barbados against India in 1997 when Courtney Walsh was injured. He led the side to victory in the only outright result of the four-match series.

Then came his appointment for the 1998 series against England when he replaced Walsh after a 0-3 drubbing in Pakistan.

From the first day of the match at Sabina Park in Jamaica, there was controversy as the game was abandoned after one hour when the pitch was deemed unsafe.

Lara's men went on to win the series 3-1, with wins in Trinidad, Guyana and Antigua.

More trouble was to follow the double world record holder later in the year as he and vice-captain Carl Hooper were sacked, then reinstated by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in a massive face-off in London.

The pair, along with several team-mates, refused to travel to South Africa for a five-match Test series as tour fees had not been finalised.

The tour was a disaster with the Windies losing all five Tests and six of the seven One-Dayers. Lara missed the end of the One-Day segment with a hand injury.

Then, put on a two-match performance-related probation, Lara hit back with two of cricket's greatest innings at home against unofficial world champions Australia in early 1999.

The West Indies were bowled out for 51 in the first Test to suffer a massive defeat, but Lara responded with 213 in Jamaica and 153 not out in Barbados to give the Windies a 2-1 lead. He hit 100 in the final Test, but this could not stave off defeat.

The World Cup in England was another disaster with the team failing to make it into the second phase; then the struggles continued in various One-Day series until a rock-bottom trip to New Zealand.

The West Indies lost both Tests one by an innings, the other by nine wickets and all five One-Dayers. It was a hard pill for the 30-yearold to swallow and he tendered his resignation on Thursday, throwing West Indies cricket into further turmoil.