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By Sa'adi Thawfeeq

West Indies batting icon Brian Lara said that his door was always open for any youngster to learn the game from him, but expressed surprise that not so many had done so.

"The younger players have got to realise that we've got players who have numerous amounts of Test matches. Players like Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Roger Harper, Carl Hooper and myself, and that experience should be used. Personally, I have not had many guys coming to me and asking what it is all about. I would like to see more than that from the younger players," said Lara at the end of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka at the SSC grounds on Sunday.

"When I was young Viv Richards couldn't keep me out of his room because I wanted to know about Test cricket and how to be successful. At all levels we need the input of ex-cricketers. We need to have people thinking about cricket.

"I don't know what we can do at present. The reality is that we have got a lot of young and inexperienced players. I remember my apprenticeship on the outside looking in and, the eagerness I had to play Test cricket.

"At the moment, a number of young players are doing their apprenticeship whilst playing and they are learning. We have to hope that whilst we are losing Test matches now, that things will work out. I don't how psychologically they are going to be affected," he said.

"West Indies cricket has always had the most talented cricketers in the world as teenagers. What happens after that is our problem. How are we going to make them grow into international cricketers? Test cricket is a man's game, it's not for little boys," said Lara reflecting ruefully on another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of Sri Lanka.

The fact remains that West Indies still lost the series 3-0 despite Lara returning to his best form for some years. The brilliant left-hander accumulated 688 runs from six innings and finished with a century average (114.66) for the first time in his illustrious career. "I set out to get my average up, the reason being that in the past I have been inconsistent and the team had suffered. But 688 runs were not enough.

I was very disappointed that we weren't able to draw a Test match or even look like winning one. In the end it has to go down as a learning experience. I would give away all 688 runs to start the series again," said Lara.

"The West Indies are known for going overseas and winning emphatically and this is not happening. We have got to put our heads together back in the Caribbean and show that we can do something about it. "We have got to put our thinking cap on. It is not something that one or two people can solve. We have to see if we can put more money into the game and what other things we can do. All the other countries are doing that. It may be five more years but there has to be light at the end of the tunnel.

"One thing I can say is that Sri Lanka are not being successful just because of natural ability. They have been planning for this over a number of years and now it is coming to fruition," said Lara.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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