Lara confirms he helped pick squad for England
… but WICB president unaware of such a meeting
Guyana Chronicle
April 23, 2007
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – As debate continues over Brian Lara’s sudden retirement from international cricket, the former West Indies captain has confirmed that he helped to pick a squad for the forthcoming tour to England but could not shed any light on what subsequently happened.
Lara’s revelations have come after West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Ken Gordon said he was unaware a squad had been chosen in late March in Antigua during the initial stages of the World Cup Super Eight.
“I know I sat with the selectors in Antigua to pick the team for England, and of course I picked myself,” Lara told a packed press conference at Kensington Oval on Saturday after playing his last international match in the World Cup Super Eight against England.
“That's all that I know at this present time. I have informed the president that I want to move on with my life. So I think I have done the right thing and allowed them an opportunity to move ahead with West Indies cricket.”
Well-placed sources have said that Lara, who announced his retirement on Thursday April 19, met the selection panel of chairman Gordon Greenidge, Andy Roberts, Clyde Butts and head coach Bennett King, and picked the squad for the series in England which comprises four Tests, two 20/20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals.
But according to the sources, it was soon revealed that Lara’s tenure as captain was to expire at the end of the World Cup, and the selection of that squad was declared null and void. A new squad is to be picked this week.
Lara said he made up his mind about retiring after talking with “very important people” about his future including his family, Gordon, former West Indies captain, The Right Honourable Sir Garfield Sobers, and Professor Hilary Beckles, principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.
In a wide-ranging interview with CMC CricketPlus during the lunch interval on Saturday, Gordon said he was unaware of the selection meeting in Antigua “unless somebody is doing something and they are not telling me”.
“To the best of my knowledge, Lara did not meet with selectors to pick any team. As far as I am aware, a meeting between Lara and the selectors never took place for that,” Gordon said.
Pressed further about a subsequent meeting with himself and the selectors in Grenada, Gordon responded: “I have had informal discussions with individual selectors but we have not had any meeting of the board of selectors.
“We have had informal discussions, I say, selectors and myself. We have been talking about things informally but there has not been an official meeting of the board at all.
“I can’t comment on what you heard. I don’t know what you heard. I can only tell you that I know that there was no meeting of the selectors with Brian Lara and telling him that … I know that didn’t happen unless somebody is doing something and they are not telling me. Maybe that’s possible but I don’t know of such a meeting,” Gordon said.
Meantime, Lara said Gordon supported his decision to retire.
“I think he understood my decision and supported it. I have spent quite a few days talking to very important people about my future, my family and Professor Hilary Beckles, Sir Garfield Sobers and the president, and I think they understand my position and they understand that I have West Indies cricket at heart.
“It’s not a situation where I am running away from it. I just wanted to get out and I played my part and hopefully the change that is happening to West Indies cricket can be something positive,” Lara said.