Lara upset at not having a say in selection

Brian Lara saw positives at the end of a disappointing tour © Getty Images

Brian Lara has said that he was upset about not being part of the selection panel that picked the 14 member squad for the VB Series. Lara hinted that the new coach, Bennett King, had a lot of say in selection matters and the team was suffering because of his lack of experience with the West Indian setup. This was under a new policy where his position as captain was not confirmed until the squad had been selected. The team returned home after being forced out of the VB Series, where they won only one game, but Lara insisted that there were several gains on the tour.

"You would think that someone who is in charge of the team and had won the ICC Champions Trophy would have had something to do with the selection," Lara told the Caribbean Media Corporation, the West Indian news agency, on arrival at the Grantley Adams Airport. "Unfortunately, this was not the case. If you have a new selection policy and there is a coach who has a lot of say in the process and does not have the experience of knowing West Indies cricket, then there will be areas in which you will fall down.

"I'm sure that the selectors are astute enough to know what's happening in West Indies cricket," Lara continued. "The right players that are needed, and we will hopefully see some improvement the next time we take the field."

Lara, though, touched upon the silver linings from the tournament. "We looked more like a unit," he told The Barbados Nation. "We looked more aggressive and more like we knew what we were doing in the middle but it happened pretty late. We didn't get out of the blocks until midway through the tournament and left ourselves with virtual finals every time we went out to the middle after that."

West Indies, who appeared rusty for a major part of the tournament, were away from international cricket for more than three months after their Champions Trophy triumph, where they recorded an incredible victory in the finals in September.

Lara also emphasised the need for significant contributions from senior players and singled out Chris Gayle for his batting slump. "It's a team game and everyone has to contribute," he said. "Unfortunately, one of our best batters, Chris Gayle, was unable to fire but these things happen. Hopefully, in the next series, he'll get things going."