LONDON, April 5: West Indies legend Gary Sobers has lent his support to Brian Lara saying that the under-fire captain should not be made a scapegoat for the Caribbean team's first home series defeat by England for 36 years.
"Brian's contribution has been tremendous. His record in South Africa and Zimbabwe was very good and he came back as the world's number one batsman," said Sobers.
"The captaincy didn't affect his form in South Africa. He shouldn't be replaced - who is there to replace him anyway? We haven't reached the standard yet where we can afford to replace him."
Sobers was speaking after Michael Vaughan's England team wrapped up the third Test in Barbados by eight wickets inside three days to take a 3-0 lead in the four-match series. It was England's first series triumph in the West Indies since 1968.
"I think we underestimated England. We returned home after performing so well on tour to South Africa and thought we would do well at home," Sobers told the BBC. "We hadn't heard much about England's bowlers so we underestimated them. Complacency is the only conclusion I can come to for these results."
Sobers, who played in that 1968 series which Colin Cowdrey's England won by 1-0, was impressed by England's performance. "This England side is a lot better than many I've seen. They've gone past the stage of bringing in older players when things go wrong," he said.
"Now they call-up younger players which is what they should have done 15 years ago. They have a good blend of players." Meanwhile, Lara has insisted that he will not step down as West Indies captain.
"I have got another Test match to focus upon so the time for assessing my position of captain is not now," Lara said. "Assessment time will come, but most of all, there are a lot of people in position to make that assessment.
"Most importantly, I am here to play for West Indies. It has always been my dream to play for West Indies in whatever capacity and I will be doing that for some time to come."
Sir Vivian Richards, the former West Indies captain and now chairman of the selection panel, acknowledged that the team is packed with players of immense ability. "But they just have not turned up to the party," Richards said.
"It's plain and simple. We can go into a lot of discussions about technique and all that stuff, but I think it is a serious warning for us, particularly those of us connected with the system.
"There are many things I believe need to be addressed. We are looking for winners and with some of the attitudes that we have seen, I do not know where it has been created, but individuals with a wonderful amount of ability have been unable to have the package to perform at their very best."
Richards revealed there were some players that were behaving like "prima donnas" and they needed to get their acts together. "You have some guys who think because they have played a few matches, they have a rightful place in the team," he said.
"There's no such thing. We are at a stage now where the players are not learning as quickly as they should in order for them to go forward. There are some individuals performing just to keep their heads above water.
"This is not acceptable and is a selfish attitude. If we are going to move forward, there are certain measures I believe that will have to be put in place." -AFP
