BIRMINGHAM, England, CMC - West Indies captain Brian Lara deflected questions over his captaincy, yesterday, after his team crashed to another heavy defeat.
In the past week, former West Indies Test greats Sir Vivian Richards and Lance Gibbs have joined the call for Lara to step down as captain in the face poor team results, but the batting star insisted Sunday he will remain in charge until he is told otherwise.
"It is impossible to even think about that (quitting) right now," he said.
"I have been given a job to do until the fourth Test at the Oval and that is what I am going to do. My employers decide when I step down or if I continue or not," he said after the West Indies suffered a 256-run defeat by England in the second test at Edgbaston, yesterday.
England won the first Test at Lord’s by 210 runs and have retained the Wisden trophy by virtue of securing an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
The West Indies also went down 3-0 in a home series against England earlier this year.
Before yesterday’s defeat, Sir Vivian Richards had criticized Lara for lacking the ability to “motivate” his players.
Lara had already left the captaincy job once, in early 2000 -- after a heavy series defeat in New Zealand -- but returned for a second stint in 2003 to replace Carl Hooper.
"I have been asked back to do this job and have been doing the best I can,” he said.
“I am going to be here till the Oval (Test) and we’ll see what happens after that."
Asked whether he would make a decision on his captaincy after that fourth Test, Lara said that determination is not entirely up to him.
“I can’t make a decision. I can make a decision to get out but I can’t make a decision to stay in the job, that is up to my employers,” he said.
“I have got a job to do, I am trying to do it to the best of my ability, and at the end of the day it is (the nature of) sport, where you have got to take the good with the bad, I have had a tremendous career and I am going to continue fighting my way to see if I can get West Indies back to where it belongs,” Lara said.
The West Indies have suffered 11 Test defeats in 16 months under Lara’s second tenure as captain.