Three times a Lara

When the West Indies Cricket Board named Brian Lara as their captain for the third time, they were opting for experience, as their focus will undoubtedly be on preparing for the World Cup in the region in 2007.

Lara's return had been foretold after Shivnarine Chanderpaul resigned one year into the post. His third stint in the job was seen as a critical aspect of preparing this young team for the tournament that is now less than a year away. His experience and maturity will be vital elements for a team in need of nurturing, especially after the uninterrupted string of defeats they have just suffered.

At the press conference in Port of Spain where the announcement was made today, Lara described himself as a "father figure" and a "leader" in the team, and said this time around for him, he would define success as producing a leader, improving the relationship between the West Indies Players' Association and the WICB, "turning the corner" for West Indies cricket, and playing well at the World Cup. He also said he hoped that long-waited resurgence would come under his leadership.

Lara added that the WICB had gone for experience instead of youth, and the names that had been bandied about prior to the announcement were all youthful, with the exception of Chris Gayle.

Gayle, whose name seemed to have surfaced only to recede again, was the contender with the most experience following Lara. And although it ended up with most people narrowing it down to a choice between Ramnaresh Sarwan, the former vice-captain and Daren Ganga, the Trinidad and Tobago national captain, both lack the kind of experience needed at this juncture.

For Sarwan, who has had more Test exposure than his demeanour suggests, it might be a good internship, one he would do well to take seriously as his boyish impetuosity seems to distort his learning curve too often.

Ganga, who has only just recovered some of his Test form, has done a brilliant job of leading Trinidad and Tobago to two regional victories. But Ganga cannot be expected to carry the burdens of this crucifying captaincy yet. He offers great hope as a future leader, but needs to come into his own first, and to have a chance to settle in as a Test player.

Gayle, on the other hand, has all the makings of a young Clive Lloyd, and it will be interesting to see if he is entrusted with a position of leadership, as it could lift his game to a more careful, consistent level, as it did for Lloyd. With Lloyd himself back within the corridors of West Indies cricket, there is no reason for them not to develop a mentoring relationship that could help Gayle to become the powerful leader this team needs.

Earlier this year, at a leadership seminar held for some of the cricketers at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies, it was observed that Gayle was seen by the other players as a senior, experienced player to be heeded and respected. For a team that has been riven by internal divisions particularly over the contract disputes, which were finally ended today as well, the importance of a leader that has the respect of all is particularly crucial.

What emerged from the seminar was that, despite the existence of little cliques within the team, Gayle is perceived to be above the partisan behaviour, and thus is liked by all. These attributes would be well remembered, especially for the old/new captain who has already declared it his mission to groom his potential successors.

The WICB was unable to name a vice-captain today, and that alone should underscore the importance of Lara's mission. These three are part of a group described by Lara as being under 25, but within their ranks there are one or two others with potential as well. Lara's return should be seen as part of a moulding mission, of working to build a team that has shelf life - not on the bottom shelf, but at eye level at the very least, long after the World Cup.

Squad to face Zimbabwe Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara (capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Ian Bradshaw.