Lara praises WI belief, passion

Lara praises WI belief, passion

Published: Guardian
Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Cricketing icon Brian Lara yesterday heaped praise on the West Indies men and women’s teams which created history on Sunday by winning the ICC T20 World Cup titles in India.

The women cruised to victory against Australia by eight wickets after reaching the final for the first time, while the men enjoyed a sensational four-wicket success over England to become the only team to win the title on two occasions.

Lara described the outcomes as historic, noting that belief and passion were two important characteristics of the teams. “When you believe in yourself and play with the passion and heart that these two groups of players  did, there can only be one result.”

The former West Indies captain who holds the record for the highest scores in Test and first class cricket, said the results showed up the depth of West Indies talent as almost every player in India was able at some point in time to dig deep and make a contribution that was vital. “Whether it was the women or men’s team, we found a new person playing that crucial innings or bowling that vital over when it mattered mostly.”

He also applauded the two captains Darren Sammy and Stafanie Taylor for their leadership role. “Darren did not do much with either bat or ball, but his importance to the team cannot be underestimated. He was shrewd throughout, making those critical changes that allowed us to keep the pressure on the opposition at all time.”

Lara noted that Taylor was named ‘Player of the tournament.’ “When you talk about leading from the front, that’s exactly what she did. She was outstanding with both bat and ball and you could sense that the team was highly motivated and played for each other throughout the tournament.”

Lara called on the WICB to fix its problems with the players so that the best teams could represent the West Indies in all formats of the game. “To think we went to this tournament minus some of the top players and still won, is testimony to the remarkable amount of talent we have in the Caribbean. We now have to start working on ensuring that the success does not end there but is translated to the other teams.”

Lara said the achievements of Sammy and Taylor’s teams against the background of a WICB administration that appears to be disorganised was something which every citizen should emulate. “They used adversity and turned it into success, it’s a lesson for us here in the Caribbean, and one that we should all think about when things get tough.”

www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2016-04-05/lara...es-wi-belief-passion