Angry Lara threatens to quit

KINGSTON, July 3: Here comes the first fallout of the West Indies losing a Test series to India. On Sunday evening, West Indies captain Brian Lara openly threatened to quit from his post after his side lost to India. The immediate provocation: matters related to selection of the team and the pitches on offer during the series. Revealing that he felt his hands were "tied at the back", Lara said that if things did not improve he had no option but to relinquish the captaincy. What also incensed Lara was that though he had been nominated as a selector since May 28 (at the end of the ODI series), he got an endorsement letter only a day before the final Test match. The West Indies selection panel spans former stars Joey Carew as convener, Gordon Greenidge and Clyde Butts. Though West Indies coach Bennett King is the fourth member on the panel, Lara had no say in selection. Incidentally, Carew has been Lara's mentor since childhood."When I think back I was given seven batsmen for a couple of Test matches, and I played six. Yet I was given eight for the last two Test matches. I don't know how you work that one out." "I would have liked to have seen Morton out there, if I was playing an extra batter. It's unfortunate.But that was a puzzle by itself," lamented Lara.Lara revealed that he had made a few phone calls "on my own" to seek inclusion of specific type of players like a genuine fast bowler but got an extra batsman in Marlon Samuels for the last two Test matches. "I was always clueless in certain situations," he said.Let down by "peripheral" issues, Lara declared that he would "revisit" his decision to be captain if the selectors were not changed. The two-year tenure of the selection panel comes to an end in a fortnight's time. A new panel will be nominated at the West Indies Cricket Boards annual meeting. courtesy:timesofindia