Reading the transcript of Lara's speech is quite interesting. The theme throughout seems to be implicitly about different forms of bullying and abuses of power (and how those with power have a responsibility toward others), and how this corrupted his idealistic view of his heroes and the game. Excerpts:
Quote:"And I got drafted into the West Indies cricket team. I was only 19.ย I went to the Oval an hour before the team arrived. I didn't know what to do. When the bus with the WI team pulled up, you're talking about my idols, talking about the people who I could only look at on TV or listen to on radio."
Quote:"As the team went inside the dressing room, I decided I'll try to join them and say hello. I was walking towards the dressing room, and my cricket bag that I put in the dressing room in the same spot that I play for Trinidad and Tobago in first class cricket, came flying through the air in front of me. I don't know what I did. I picked it up and I walked inside. And to my amazement, the same place that I sat for T&T, was the same place Sir Vivian Richards sat for the West Indies."
Quote:"So I spent the first five days of my international career in the bathroom, ducking the players as they came in to take a shower. I had to move my bag left, I had to move it right. [...] Of course on many occasions they took advantage of me, and I remember right here at Lord's during 1991 series, it was raining as it always does in England, and I made sure everybody had what they wanted - who wanted their shirt in the drier, who wanted food, who wanted their boots cleaned - I did everything as it continued to rain. I felt there was an opportunity for me to take a little nap and I had my first 'MRI experience' - you know when someone is really close to your face.
I opened my eyes and there was Viv Richards staring me in the eyes with piercing look and big nose. He looked at me and he said, very quietly, 'Did you have a late night?'. I was nervous, heart beating. I said 'No I didn't. I just felt that everyone was okay, needed nothing so I thought I'll take a sleep.' He looked at me, and if he got any closer, his nose would be rubbing against my cheeks, and said: 'Listen, get up, go outside and watch the rain. You're not being paid to sleep'. I got up as a youngster, went outside on the balcony at Lord's and I watched the rain.
I was out there an hour later, it was still drizzling, when Lance Gibbs the team manager came and said: 'Brian, I have a horse running at Doncaster. Let's go down to the betting shop and see if we have a winner. I got up and ran inside, only to run into Sir Viv - bareback, a towel is around his shoulder and a mean look on his face. I made a U-turn and went back to the balcony."
Quote:"WI dominated the world. For 15 years from 1980, they didn't lose a single Test series. And just before that reign started, Colin Croft decided he was going take a little piece out of Fred Godall's shoulder and ran into him in a Test in New Zealand. Michael Holding decided he was no longer a cricketer, he was a footballer. One of the players was making a long run and he kicked the stump towards him. I was still a very young person. and so I didn't really understand what was going on.
But I am sure the occurrences during those periods had a big effect on cricket. I was asked by the late Richie Benaud to say a few words after my last Test in Adelaide. I went on stage and thanked my teammates and the Australian public, and immediately went to the Australian cricket team room - members of what was now the best cricket team in the world - and I let them know how exactly I felt. They had the respect of the rest of the world and they needed to show the way and ensure that world cricket saw them as leaders. Not just on the field, not just with fierceness and dominance on the field, but how the game should've been played."
Quote:"Imran Khan got Viv Richards plumb in front and was given not out. And he got a 100 and West Indies drew the Test. That was not the most troubling moment for me. The next match in Barbados, West Indies drew that Test and Pakistan were still 1-0 up in the series. It was a keenly-fought Test match. On the fifth day, Jeff Dujon was trying to steer WI to victory with the tail. Abdul Qadir bowled a googly, hit his glove and it ricocheted off to bat-pad and the entire Pakistan team appealed and the umpire said not out. I was embarrassed, I wasn't playing. I wasn't actually in the team. The Pakistan team, I could see, looked defeated. They lost the fight, except for Qadir, who punched a spectator and had to pay USD 1000 to settle out of court."
Quote:"Another disturbing period during that time was England's 1990 tour of West Indies. I was on the team as usual, as the water boy. England had no chance. Ian Botham wasn't there, David Gower wasn't there. They were in Jamaica with no chance and they outplayed the West Indies and they led the series 1-0. Everyone believed that that could not be repeated. They went to Guyana, rain fell and no play at all. They went to Trinidad with a 1-0 lead and Graham Gooch won a very important toss on a green top. By lunch, West Indies were 29 for 5. It was not a fluke. They had a bit of recovery with Gus Logie, Wayne Larkin... and Graham Gooch batted very well and put England in a commanding position. By the fifth day, England were in driver's seat. Rain washed out a session, but England still had ample time to chase down a very small total. And I've never ever seen groundsman and official fight for man of the match. They moved lethargic, slow if there was a wet spot. Somebody went off the field, came back with nothing in their hand and went back in again. They took their time. They ensured that the game wasn't going to start anytime soon. They started with a couple of hours to go and England still had ample time to beat the West Indies. And this maybe was the most embarrassing moment for me as a young West Indian, watching the team time-wasting and playing the game in the way it should never ever be played."
Quote:"And as it started getting dark, West Indies was able to grab a draw from the jaws of defeat. I think we bowled seven overs in one hour. It was really embarrassing. You've got to understand, I was the 12th man, so I was very, very guilty. I was running out with lacings, banana, water, cough tablets (to stall the game)... all sorts of different things in the last hour. It was truly embarrassing."
Quote:"In the following test, Rob Bailey was batting with not much time to go for a draw. He flicked the ball down the leg side and Dujon dived and collected. The first slip ran towards the umpire and signalled and kept going and going. Eventually the finger went up and gave Bailey out, and he was definitely not out. England sort of lost faith in the game. They lost that Test and they lost the game in Antigua for West Indies to win the series 2-1. And as a West Indian I really and truly was embarrassed. As a youngster, who really looked up to a lot of the individuals in the team, it felt like one of the saddest moments in the world."
Quote:"And if Pakistan got what they deserved, and England got what they deserved in 1988 and 1990 respectively, I feel the West Indies officials would've taken a different look in introspection into what do we do about saving West Indies cricket. At a time when we had senior players, who could've guided the younger players to ensure we were in the right footing moving forward. But that didn't happen."
Quote:"I flicked at it and moved off for a run, I felt that my heel touched something. I ran past the bowler and he was pointing at my stump. The umpires met, discussed and decided that I wasn't out. As a young man, not knowing the rules fully, I accepted the decision. But it didn't rest well with me and I didn't last long afterwards. And I told myself that day that if I am ever out in a cricket match, I would not be waiting for the umpire's decision. The fielding team is going to see my back."
Quote:"Another thing that I feel affects the spirit of cricket is the relationship any team has with its cricket board. And the relationship between or the disharmony between WICB and its players - the one cancer I believe has destroyed West Indies cricket over the last 20-25 years."
