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BRIAN, DO NOT GO!!!
We stand with the rest of the world in acknowledging the greatest batsman of the modern era and the most delightful and entertaining player of the modern game. We also acknowledge the times Lara has defended the honour of our West Indian region through many a majestic innings. We celebrate as artists how his stroke-play and game are the embodiment of the highest principles of beauty and resistance that exist in us as West Indian people. It is for these reasons as well as: his enormous intelligence about the game; his dedication to West Indies Cricket Legacy; and his warrior-like concern for the future of the game that we join in others and say, "Not yet Brian. Not now. You are needed still!"
There have been many reports of divisiveness and pettiness coming from within the West Indies Cricket court. There have been enough to suggest that Lara's pre-mature retirement has been the result of non-constructive external pressure rather than a reflective internal one. This is worrying and once again sets the worst precedent for us as a region. At stake is the very Legacy and future of West Indies Cricket itself. It is a battle for the over-arching vision of how the glorious institution of West Indies Cricket should be run. ACTT is not 'picking a side' in this ongoing wrestle. We are saying this: the best possible result for our cricket can now only come when the estates of: the administrative WICB class; the army of the Golden Age cricket legends; the present incumbent genius that is Lara; the players representative union; the current crop of players; and the West Indian People as a whole join together to chart the way forward.
ACTT is calling for a region-wide symposium to be held on the future and direction of West Indies Cricket right after the end of this World Cup.
The way forward cannot be gained by the exiling of genius because 'we don't like them'. As a region we have passed this way before in our individual territories where we have failed to put our genius at our centre. Especially in the microcosm of our cricket we have not retired any of past greats with dignity, nor utilized any of our past geniuses with intelligence. Brian's premature retirement in a way is an admission on behalf of the WICB and the region that we do not know how to handle genius- neither its extremities of brilliance, passion, and vision nor its unorthodoxy, individualism, and its flaws. It is as if we are saying, "We cannot deal with creative genius. We prefer to deal with malleable mediocrity instead." This is not a position that will bode well for our future as a region.
Brian Charles Lara, we honour you as a warrior on our behalf, and we say, "Come back Brian. Put on the armour. And take up your blade once more."
Contact: Rubadiri Victor 868-797-0949; Sean Thomas 868-689-4298; Camille Selvon-Abrahams 868-760-0266 |
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It
with extreme regret that the Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago greets the
news of Brian Lara's retirement from West Indies Cricket. We have noted Brian's
sentiments that the decision was made after a 'long and thoughtful reflection',
however we would like to humbly suggest to Brian that he has much more to contribute
to West Indies Cricket on the field as a Test player and as a guide to the next
generation of West Indian players.