THE EDITOR, Sir:

I AM a big fan of Caribbean cricket since the late 1970s - I am 36 years now, and a doctor by profession from Hyderabad in south India.

I place Lara in style and substance above our very own Sachin Tendulkar ... I can rate only New Zealand's Nathan Astle and Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq after Lara in batsmanship of the highest calibre against great attacks.

I welcome Lara's appointment as skipper until the 2007 World Cup. There have been dissenting voices of protest here and there, mostly from Guyana. But, all said and done, Ramnaresh Sarwan is not Lara, never can be. I do rate Sarwan highly myself. In fact, after Lara, if at all anyone has caught my eye, it has been Sarwan from the West Indies team.

But, too often, like Carl Hooper, he has failed to deliver when it mattered the most for his team, failed to convert good starts into big innings and generally showed a tendency to be indifferent, lackadaisical in his approach to the game ... a wee-bit careless, reckless when application would have been the need of the hour.

I doubt seriously his present credentials to be skipper of the Windies team. Post-Lara, however, maybe if he shows responsibility as a player working for his team's cause and more application, then he could be considered for the job.

However, not now. A skipper should lead by example and, at present, Sarwan cannot do that. Someone should teach him or speak to him to apply his mind to cricket and not let it drift away from the task on hand.

Sarwan is too precious a gem to lose. His silken cover drives and imperious hooks are a rare treat to watch. In full flow, he is a class act.

He is a rare talent, nonetheless ­ despite all his mental blocks. We fans of Caribbean cricket fervently wish that he doesn't go the Hooper way, frittering away his precious playing years aimlessly, and finally drift into oblivion.

I wish Lara, the Prince, all the best in the coming series and the World Cup.

Watching cricket shall never be the same again once the Prince calls it a day.

Then, there won't be anyone left here in India who gets up in the middle of the Indian night to watch live cricket from the Caribbean, half way across the other side of the world unless, that is, Sarwan pulls up his socks and shows the world what a great talent he is.

I am, etc.,

DR. SUDHAKAR RAO

Hyderabad, India

THE EDITOR, Sir:

JUST WHEN we think that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the players would take us out of the misery we have been suffering over all these years, now comes the unkindest cut of all.

Our icon, 'The Big Man', is captain of the team again.

Now here is a most indisciplined icon who, with all his greatness, never ever put his team or country first. He is certainly in love with himself. Having been given a reprieve not to play in the one-dayers in New Zealand, he is allowed to play in the Test matches, which did nothing to help our team win or draw a match.

Look at the scene between himself and Chris Gayle when the West Indies were losing street and lane and these two were having a good laugh. Have they no pride?

To have this icon once more take up the helm of West Indies cricket is the height of madness. If he cannot discipline himself, how is he going to discipline the rest of the team?

The board is saying to all the youngsters on the team, there is no need for any of you to care about the game and the people of the region who are constantly hanging their heads in shame.

Do you think they felt any shame when there were no spectators in the stands during the New Zealand series and were they happy at what the captain of the New Zealand team said (paraphrasing) that it was a waste of time playing the West Indies as this tour did not help them to improve their standard and they would now have to look to the tour of South Africa to help them in this regard?

I cannot understand why Jamaicans and people of the other territories bother to watch them playing cricket.

I think we should all petition the board to opt out of playing any further cricket and to go back to the drawing board with the youngsters from all the territories.

These youngsters should be told in no uncertain terms that practice must be the key and that they should watch videos to see how they are dismissed in order to help them to solve this problem. Please do not allow them to even think that they are 'icons' and thus can go 'carnivalling' and then expect to play cricket.

I am, etc.,

BARBARA COVER

Kingston

THE EDITOR, Sir:

THERE IS a call for the Caribbean region to support its cricket team. However, are we really serious about this call to rally 'round the West Indies and are we willing to bring the call to life?

With World Cup 2007 just around the corner, I need to put forward this note. As we are quite aware, our cricket team is currently going through a very low period. However, as the saying goes in Jamaica, 'what don't dead, is not done', and with that saying, I strongly believe that the West Indies team is just a giant asleep and needs to be awakened.

Let us say this very strongly to the board of directors and past players: The wealth of experience and greatness that lies in this region speaks for itself, and there is no reason why the West Indies team should not come out as world champions in the West Indies.

This World Cup is in our backyard and we should take full advantage of the conditions and situation and ensure that we are the champions for the next four years.

Many may chuckle at a statement like this, but the reality is that we all need to unshackle ourselves from internal warfare and mental slavery and unite to make ourselves proud.

Our board of directors needs to take a good look at its present policy and make guidelines that will get the immediate input of our past players.

I am sure that past players like Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner, Jeffrey Dujon, Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Sir Garfield Sobers, just to name a few, are more than willing and ready to make a positive input right away in their respective departments. At this stage, it's not about money, but the region's pride.

Being underdogs puts us under less pressure, but provides a challenge. And that challenge we are more than able to take up and be successful. Let us all look within ourselves and rally 'round the West Indies.

I am, etc.,

RUPERT BROWN