Brian Lara cautious about future
Despite less than ordinary performance by the West Indies in the Super Eight, Captain Lara is in no hurry to decide about his future in cricket.
est Indies captain Brian Lara will not rush to make any decision about his future in the game.
Lara has come under intense pressure, after his side lost their first four matches in the Super Eight stage of the cricket World Cup, and failed to make it to semi-finals, reports Caribbean Media Corp.
"I have spent the last 34 years of my life with a cricket bat in my hand, and this is something that I am really proud of, but I am not going to make any hasty decision about my future - if it is remaining in cricket, or getting out of cricket," Lara told reporters on Wednesday.
"It's something I will sit back on and relax a bit before deciding. Things are not running away. Cricket is always going to be here. It was here before I arrived, and it will be here long after I leave."
Lara, 38, has announced that the final Super Eight World Cup match on Saturday against England at Kensington Oval will be his last One-day International for West Indies.
He has indicated his willingness to play in Tests until the age of 40, but his position of West Indies captain appears tenuous for the team's tour of England that comes immediately following the World Cup.
Lara refuses to identify his ideal candidate who can replace him as the captain, although he picked Chris Gayle three years ago following the team's triumph at the Champions Trophy in England in 2004.
"I'm not commenting on that department. I just wish the new captain all the best. It is going to be a tough job," he said.
"It's a decision I have taken a long time ago, and it is now a decision for the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board) and the selectors to get someone that is capable of doing the job."
"I think a captain is as good as his team, and I think if he can get a team that will work hard and play good cricket, you will see a captain that is prosperous," he averred.
Asked if he was hinting that he did not receive the full cooperation from his side for the World Cup, Lara explained: "Whoever comes to the fore, his team ingredients will be very important to him."
Lara described winning the 2004 Champions Trophy in England as the high point of his ODI career, and concluded that never winning a World Cup or playing in a World Cup final was the low point.
"Every exit from every World Cup tournament has been tragic. Everyone has been very hurtful," he said.
Lara is the West Indies leading scorer in Tests and ODIs, and also holds the World record for the highest individual Test and first-class score.