TRELAWNY, Jamaica - West Indies captain Brian Lara spoke with the media at the Ritz Carlton hotel on Sunday March 4th ahead of the first warm up game against Kenya. Lara first welcomed the teams and fans to West Indian shores then responded to questions from the media. Following are excerpts from his comments.
Brian Lara: As host captain of the West Indies cricket team I'd like to officially welcome the players, the fans, you the media to our countries. I hope you understand that this is a watershed moment in West Indian cricket, not just West Indies cricket but West Indian life as a whole. We as a people are looking forward to putting on a show that surpasses all other Cricket World Cups that have gone in the past. I'm extremely proud that the World Cup has come to the West Indies in my playing days and I'm sure this is going to be a memorable World Cup for the West Indies Cricket Team and for the West Indies people. Once again I want to say welcome to our shores and hope you have a wonderful time. I want to say that the reason that you are here for World Cup is not just to enjoy this special occasion but also to take the good news back about our countries and to ensure that your friends and families and even yourselves come back for a visit some time in the future.
On whether there is added pressure as the host team:
I must say that a lot of the Test playing nations have drawn very close together competitively and it's very hard to say that there is any one or two countries that's going to control the World Cup and win it. Of course Australia are definitely starting favorites because of their stats and the way they have played cricket over the last few years. I think personally that the team that I am in charge of, our performances in international tournaments and triangular tournaments, we've been to almost every final that has been available to us. Before the 2004 ICC Championship we had the triangular series with England and New Zealand [and] we got to the finals, we won the ICC Champions Trophy, two years later a triangular series with Australia and India, we got to the finals again and of course the ICC Champions trophy about five months ago losing out to Australia. That in itself is enough to say that we do have the players and our cricket over the last couple of years, the standards has definitely raised and we have a team that could definitely get to the World Cup finals and win it.
On whether having double World Cup winning captain Clive Lloyd’s presence in the team managements is an advantage:
One of the exercises that we're going to be doing throughout the next six weeks is to have Mr. Lloyd give us some of his experiences in World Cup 75 and 79 and maybe even 83. One Day cricket doesn’t’ change that much and I'm almost sure that he's got great experiences on those occasions and definitely watching us in the nets and watching us practice and play in the recent past. He's definitely got what it takes and the information we need. He is definitely a great advantage to us having him here.
On whether this being his last World Cup is a burden or a motivation?
I’m really happy that I’m playing a World Cup in my home country and I think that in itself is good, I’ve got 16 years of international experience so I don’t think it’s a burden, I think it’s a great opportunity for myself and the young charges that I have in my group to make this a really big moment for West Indies cricket. There so many reasons why we need to get really far in this tournament. It’s there in front of us, we know what we have to do, it’s not a burden for me and I don’t think it’s a burden for any of the players. We have played very good cricket over the last two years in the One Day arena and we’re just looking forward to this tournament and advancing as far as possible.
On whether this World Cup is a stepping stone for the next generation?
It’s always a tournament where a youngster comes up and shows what he’s made of. I think it’s an opportunity for a lot of the youngsters around the world involved in this tournament to get an opportunity to show their ability and come forward. We’ve got quite a few and we’re looking forward to them playing a major part. I’ve already told them that it’s not going to be a tournament won by the senior players or the experienced players, everyone’s got to make a contribution and the young ones have to come forward and stake a claim for international recognition.
On whether the pitches are likely to be high scoring or otherwise:
As you said, many of them have been relaid, and for a month before the tournament starts all the venues have been closed and I haven’t had the opportunity to play on many of them. Pitches around the Caribbean there is still a uniqueness about them, sometimes you get a bit of pace, a bit of spin but I think most importantly you’ve got to play good cricket and it’s going to test your ability. Scores around 250 – 275, there are some small fields, there are some minnows that are in the tournament, Australia playing in St Kitts, I don’t know what could happen there. I think generally it’s going to be a very good tournament, it’s going to ask a lot of questions of the players, the facilities, the grounds. I still feel the best team is going to come out on top.
On whether Australia may be waning given there recent string of losses:
Australia deserves favoritism, that’s something the West Indies team does not want to carry. We do not want to be one of the front runners. We want to slowly get into our stride and surprise people coming to the end.
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