Brian Lara's decision to retire from International cricket has surprised the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) president, Chetram Singh.
The left-handed Trinidadian, holder of the record for most Test runs and highest individual score in Test and first-class matches, announced his retirement after his side beat Bangladesh in Barbados on Thursday.
Singh said on Friday that he was startled by Lara's decision.
"I was taken aback because we were told that although Lara would quit one-day cricket after the World Cup, he intended to continue at the Test level and was available for the England tour," said Singh, who is also a director on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
"So maybe this (his retirement) could provide us with a great opportunity to start the rebuilding process under a new captain, who would not be influenced negatively or positively with Lara in the team.
"He (Lara) will be missed for his majestic batting, and I feel he is still capable of scoring plenty of runs at the Test level if he so desires," Singh said.