BRIDGETOWN, (AP):
STAR BATSMAN Brian Lara said yesterday that 'two years of introspection' have left him better prepared for his second stint as West Indies cricket captain in the upcoming home series against Australia and Sri Lanka.
"It's a great challenge for me again," the 33-year-old Lara said at Kensington Oval after his appointment by the West Indies Cricket Board.
"I've had two years of introspection, two years of looking and seeing where I've gone wrong," Lara said. "It was a period of learning. A lot of things I had done two years ago, I don't think I'll be doing now."
Lara replaces Carl Hooper, whose two years at the helm ended with a disappointing World Cup 2003 campaign in South Africa, where the West Indies failed to advance past the first round.
"Other than Carl, myself and Ridley (Jacobs), there is not much there in terms of experience," Lara said. "So I think it would be a dereliction of duty if I was presented the job and to turn it down. I see my responsibilities and I want to play a part."
He captained the West Indies in 18 Tests and 44 one-day internationals between 1997 and 2000.
The Trinidadian double world-record holder resigned after a tour of New Zealand in 1999-2000 in which West Indies lost both Tests and all five one-dayers.
At the time, he cited 'moderate success and devastating failures that have engulfed West Indian cricket' as among the reasons for his quitting.
He missed the subsequent home series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan for personal reasons before returning to the team on the 2000 tour of England.
Since then, he has been sidelined at times by injury and illness, but has remained the team's premier batsman when available.
Lara said he learned a lot as "one of the guys in the team" under first Jimmy Adams and then Hooper, but was looking forward to making his presence felt again.
"Definitely it will be a different style . . . it will definitely be Brian Lara you're seeing out there," he said.
He was also optimistic in his outlook for the Australian series, which begins April 10 with the first Test in Georgetown, Guyana.
"I wouldn't take the job if I didn't think we could win the series," Lara said.
"We've got a team that is full of a lot of potential. We need to shape our characters especially in these tough times, especially against the best team in the world. There is no better opposition to do that against," Lara said.
During the Australians' last Caribbean tour in 1999, then skipper Lara produced three centuries, including a double, in four Tests. The series was split 2-2.
