Brian Lara ... to take over the reins as captain of the West Indies team for a third time. - REUTERS
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP):
BRIAN LARA was appointed as captain of the West Indies for an unprecedented third time yesterday, replacing Shivnarine Chanderpaul as officials also appeared to quell the latest eruption in an 18-month contract dispute with its players.
"This has been a tough decision for me personally," said Lara, who relinquished the captaincy a year ago saying he would not take it again. "But some luminaries of West Indies cricket, past and present, called me and asked me to consider taking the job in the last week.
"With that in mind, I believe that this time will be different as the support from all of the stakeholders is there from the outset."
Lara previously held the post from 1997 to 1999 and from 2003 to April 2005. He turns 37 on May 2.
SEPARATE DISCUSSIONS
"We held separate discussions with Brian and we believe it is in the best interest of West Indies cricket for him to return to the job," West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Ken Gordon said.
A positive-sounding Lara indicated he is still thinking about preserving himself and others for the more important periods in West Indies cricket and doesn't see himself or the young fast bowlers in particular, playing all of the matches all of the time.
INJURIES
"We have to be selective and be smart," he said. "We have had a number of injuries to key players in the past and we need to seriously look at this and plan wisely to see how best to preserve these players so that they are available when it matters the most."
Lara resigned the captaincy a year ago, one of several top players who refused to sign contracts with the WICB that gave board sponsor Digicel certain commercial rights in apparent violation of their existing individual sponsorship deals.
Chanderpaul took over, but he resigned two weeks ago following a string of losses and his own poor run of form.
Lara's appointment came as the WICB announced a squad of 13 players for a home series of seven one-day internationals against Zimbabwe starting on Saturday in Antigua.
That announcement had been delayed for a day over the latest row in the sponsorship contract dispute, which has been resolved on a tour-by-tour basis.
"I am happy to state that the issue of retainer contracts has been dealt with successfully," Gordon said. "A lot of compromises have been made on both sides and a framework has been agreed upon, paving the way to move forward."
Besides Lara, others selected were Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Runarko Morton, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Fidel Edwards and Ian Bradshaw.
Deryck Murray, the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, and the man who was a founding member of the original West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), sat in on the meetings and indicated his delight in finally brokering a deal.
"It is great that we have reached an agreement," he said. "It is just one of the steps to help move West Indies cricket forward. I see this as a new beginning, to help with the resurgence of West Indies cricket."
