Monday, July 3 2006 15:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kingston (Jamaica): Throughout the series against India, which the Indies lost 1-0 on Sunday, captain Brian Lara has had one constant theme. He is not getting the players he wants. Nor is he getting the kind of pitches that will favour his team.

He said it all one more time, and more forcefully, on Sunday after West Indies lost the fourth Test in three days at Sabina Park here. And he said he may reconsider his decision to return as West Indies captain. (Lara had taken charge of the West Indies side for the third time in his career after Shivnarine Chanderpaul quit earlier this year.

Lara, of course, admitted that India played better cricket than his team, also that he was very proud of the way his team had played ("We could have lost the series 3-0"). But he was disappointed with the attitude of his own cricket board and implied that it may have contributed to the loss.

First came the revelation that he had been a team selector since May 28, before the start of the first Test against India in Antigua, but had come to know of the decision only four days before the start of this final Test. West Indies team media officer Imran Khan later clarified it was not four days before the Test.

"There is a meeting coming up shortly and depending on its outcome, if it is a situation where my reputation as a captain is damaged, I might revisit my decision to be captain," said Lara.

About not getting the players he wanted, Lara said, "If we had a couple of different faces, this series could have ended differently."

He did not elaborate but mentioned that paceman Fidel Edwards' absence after the first innings of the first Test through injury was a major blow, indicating that he wanted a bowler of equivalent pace but never got one.



He also was upset with the dropping of spinner Dave Mohammed.



"After St Lucia, I spoke about the need for a balanced attack and they dropped Dave from the 13. And gave me eight batsmen (in the 13) when I played only six in the first two Tests," he said.



Then, the grouse against the nature of the pitches provided. He was particularly disappointed with the Sabina Park wicket, which he said reminded him of Sydney.

"In those days, when we were regularly hammering Australia, we would go to Sydney and always lose. That was a spinning track," he said.

Asked if he had similar problems in his earlier stints as captain, Lara replied, "It was the same situation, but I was in the meetings. I knew how to manoeuvre, manipulate (to get things my way). Here I am just handed a piece of paper."