The Editor, Sir:

I hope that the West Indies board will not be seduced or coerced into extending Lara's presence in the West Indies side, in any form of cricket, beyond the end of this World Cup. He must go now. He is a man who quite plainly has no understanding at all, despite his many years at the top, of the requirement that leaders should lead their men not only on the field, but off the field as well.

His has been a cancerous period of leadership, since he seems not yet to have grasped the simple fact, that it is by his principled and resolute personal example and conduct that a leader wins and commands the respect and admiration of his teammates and, in turn, of the team's wider following. Lara, while a prince of batsmen, falls a very long way short of these qualities, and he plainly does not command the respect of his men. The current team is a shambles, for which Lara is responsible. He must therefore, go.

I am, etc.,

COLIN WYNTER, Q.C.

London, England