Lara takes over as WI skipper

Lara told a press conference he was very pleased but he recognised he had a difficult job ahead. “I am looking forward to great things for myself and the players. West Indies cricket can be successful in the future and will be. I don’t want success in the future — I want success now, starting with England,” he said.

Lara admitted West Indies recent form had been poor. “We haven’t been playing very well as a team of late and we have to work on our all round play as our performance on the field had not been of a very high standard.“One of the first things I will be looking to do as captain will be to sit down with coach, the manager, the selectors and look at ways of improving our all round cricket. This really must improve if we are to rebound.”

Lara’s appointment had been widely expected, especially since West Indies’ disastrous performance in Pakistan when they were beaten 0-3 in the Test series.

Manager Clive Lloyd said he was pleased with the appointement. “Brian is in a great position as he now holds one of the most prestigious jobs in world cricket. I am expecting great things. He now has the somewhat daunting but exciting task of bringing West Indies cricket back to the top.