Tony Becca
IT IS not often these days that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) gets a pat on the shoulder, because of that whenever it deserves one it should get one, and after its meeting in Barbados last week it truly deserves one.
That's not for telling the cricket-loving people of the region that it lost US$19,513,410 in the year leading up to September last year, that its accumulated deficit at that time was US$34,920,819, or that it was depending on the revenue from the World Cup to balance its books, but that it would be investigating Brian Lara's comments at the end of the final Test against India.
After losing the Test match by 49 runs and the four-match series 1-0, Lara, the captain of the West Indies, told the world that the selectors did not listen to him, that they dropped the one specialist spin bowler in the team after one Test match - the first, that he wanted a fast bowler, a very fast bowler, and he did not get one, and that with the series locked at 0-0, the pitch at Sabina Park, the stage for the final Test match, was prepared to favour India.
Lara also said that he had found out only a few days before the start of the final Test match that he was made a selector one month before, but did not know, and that he would await the selection of the new selection panel before deciding whether he would continue as the captain.
TO BE OR NOT TO BE?
With many countries going the way of not having the captain as a selector - and with good reason at that, whether Lara should be a selector or not is debatable - and especially so, remembering the culture of the West Indies and the need for power.
Whatever the result of such a debate may be, however, there is no question about it: Lara, as the captain, should be the adviser to the selectors, or the selector, and with his vast experience and knowledge of the game, remembering that despite the influence of the coach, he is the one leading the team on the field, his advice should be listened to, if not always accepted.
Captain or no captain, that, however, does not give Lara the right to openly criticise the selectors as he did so many times during the series; captain or no captain, that does not give him the right to criticise the groundsmen as he did throughout the series; and captain or no captain, that definitely does not give him the right not only to criticise the groundsmen at Sabina Park, but also to embarrass them as he attempted to do by the gesture with his bat and his right hand after an offbreak - a legbreak to the left-hander - from Harbhajan Singh had spun past his bat while groping defensively forward.
That is why the board deserves a pat on the shoulder for its decision to investigate Lara's behaviour.
BEHAVIOUR
As the captain, as the leader of West Indies cricket on the field, he represents the board, West Indies cricket and the people of the West Indies, his behaviour, particularly so his remarks about the pitch at Sabina Park, and his gesture to the groundstaff at Sabina Park were embarrassing, and hopefully, the committee investigating the matter, Messrs Ken Gordon, Clive Lloyd and Gregory Shillingford as well as Sir Alistair McIntyre, will do a thorough investigation and take appropriate action.
Hopefully, this will not be another of the board's investigations which have got no further than the setting up of a committee or the tabling of a report because if that happens, and especially so with men like president Gordon, Lloyd and Sir Alistair on the committee, then Lara deserves to be crowned.
As a player, Lara campaigned for the captaincy and despite the many disruptions, he got it.
As the captain for the third time, Lara campaigned to be a selector and he got it, and if he gets away with his behaviour at Sabina Park, the people of the West Indies may as well confirm him as West Indies cricket's El Numero Uno by handing him not only the position as chief selector, but also those of manager, coach, physiotherapist, psychologist, chief groundsman and president of the board.
