A major problem within the team has been its internal relations, its indiscipline and its unwillingness to train and maintain fitness programmes. Granted, it is not an easy problem to uproot, but it requires an intervention that explicitly communicates intent.

When Brian Lara announced his retirement, two names were immediately tossed out as his successor: Sarwan and Daren Ganga. Both have led their national teams with success, both are good cricketers, though one has a better record, and both have completely different approaches to the game.

Ganga's leadership has been about instilling discipline and nurturing a good work ethic. Sarwan considers himself a gambler who is willing to take risks. But Sarwan has become a senior member of this team of skylarkers, has been obviously part of the embedded culture, and despite his best intentions, cannot impose a new and unwelcome ethic. He may have the most attractive playing record at this stage, but Lara's was more impressive and that didn't do the trick.

In selecting the squad for the World Cup, the WICB omitted Ganga, despite his recent good form, and it struck me then as it does now. What a complete and utter rejection it was of all the qualities of leadership that Ganga represented. It was probably just as well that they left him out, because he might just have been seen as a party pooper.

Batsmen and rivals: Sarwan beat Daren Ganga in the race to replace Brian Lara © AFP

Ganga, at 28, brings a decidedly more mature approach than Sarwan, who will turn 27 in June. Not that age is the decider, but their temperaments and experiences have been starkly different. Ganga has been bumped in and out of the West Indies team, sometimes inexplicably, but he has been stoic and resilient and has always tried to work out his problems, though it has affected his confidence.

Sarwan has breezed through his career based on his obvious talent. When he shines, he is dazzling, but he is belligerent towards criticism and stubbornly refuses to amend flaws in his technique. He is supercharged with confidence, which can be a good thing, and he will probably be a forthright captain (though that might be a contractual no-no).

In 2002, I interviewed him and one of the elements of the conversation that has returned to me several times during the intervening years was that he repeatedly insisted that nothing had changed in him since he was 15 or 16. "I've been the same way," he said, more than once, and watching him since I could see the truth of the statement.

I also asked him what he thought were the qualities of a good captain. His response was immediate, suggesting he'd already worked it out. "One, he should know how to speak," he said. "He should be cool in situations, he should know when to make a decision, and he must be a gambler. He should be a gambler. And he must have cricket knowledge as well."

They were all qualities he felt he had then, and if now, under these oppressive and complex circumstances he thinks he is up for the challenge, one hopes that he understands it takes other things as well.

i would love to someone like Bravo or even Dwayne smith captain, obviously they are the future of West Indies cricket. I have doubts about Sarwans commitment seems like a very individualistic kind of person more concerned about individual glory rather then team performances.

What are the odds on Charlton winning the premiership this season , I guess same or higher odds are called for someone betting on Sarwan. A self acclaimed party animal , known to party on nights leading towards a cricket match how does he 1 - instill disciplne 2 - command respect 3 - manage the so said stars in the side ..... Good news for Peter Moores though , guess ladbrokes will be offering very low odds on a series whitewash in favour of England.

he is the best at the moment and is shore of a place in the team

The Windies need discipline and i dont think Sarwan has the ability to force it in the team

Sarwan belongs to that clique of obviously gifted (but childish) cricketers whom captaincy can change for the better. Jayawardene is the immediate example. However there are risks involved as well. Supertalents have a tendency to crash and burn and as captain, they can take their teams down with them too. The likes of Pieterson, Yuvraj Singh, Herschelle Gibbs and Virender Sehwag have all been around for a while, and the inevitable captaincy debate surrounding them has always been in muted and fearful. The 'what if' factor cannot be ruled out.
To become another Jayawardene, Sarwan will need to change his approach completely. He has pretty much admitted that he hasn't improved as a cricketer in ten years. That will just not do. A succesful captain will need to push himself beyond all limits he has set for himself, and expect the same of the team as well.

yes sarwan is the right man to lead the west indies team and he proved that in the champions trophy by winning the match aginst ausses.

Sarwan is the overious choice,however no matter who is put as captain this team will progress,first of all the wrong mentality excits in in the minds of the players,second a WI team without Lara is incomprehensibly at this stage,maybe in 2 years time.
The way I look at it is beg Lara to come back,pick him first then the rest of the team and who so ever they want to put as captain.
I would also leave out Gayle,a batsman that does not use his feet has no place on a team.

Sarwan captain and Bravo vic.

Somehow I feel the Windies board have got it wrong again. Time for a new approach to the side which means a new vision which does not include Sarwan as captain. Ganga would have been a better bet to shake all the complacency out of the Gayles', Bravos', Mortons', and the rest of the party boys.
If the Windies want to compete against the big teams then Ganga would have not tolerated all this mediocrity from this lot.

Of course Sarwan can do the job since he is a better batsman, he has more experience and he is one for the future of west indies cricket.

Sarwan is definitely a captain for the future and can indeed lead the WI during a period of success reminiscent of bygone eras. However, does he have the strength and leadership qualities required to manage our current crisis. No doubt he can fight thru the mediocrity and deliver on a personal level but, like Chanders it is doubtful how inspiring and disciplined an approach he can have on the bunch of slackers in the squad. Ganga on the other hand has shown that he can mould a mixture of experience and youth into a well knit team that fixates on their goals and achieves them. Apart from his shortcomings he has shown a willingness to learn and to teach. His qualities would definitely be more employable even if as a medium term solution (2-3 years) to take us back along path to glory ... if only for Sarwan to then step in once the summit is in sight.

Ramnaresh Sarwan has enough qualities to have been chosen by the management. He now needs the total support of the WICB, players and supporters. He must realise it's an awesome responsibility and that his is a new era for Westindies cricket. Every individual player must give him total support. Sarwan also needs a strong and healthy infrastructure around him in terms of fitness, bowling and fielding coaches. He must also make the most of lots of wisdom available from past Westindies captains and those who spearheaded and tasted success in the past. A leader must lead by example on and off the pitch!

NO WAY. SARWAN IS A PARTY MAN. DARREN GANGA IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS SERIOUS AND KNOWS HOW TO CAPTAIN. THAT'S WHY HIS TRINIDAD TEAM HAS BEEN WINNING FOR SO LONG NOW. HE INSTILLS DISCIPLINE AND MAKES THE TEAM WORK LIKE HOW POINTING MAKES AUSTRALIA WORK. HE'S THE ONLY ONE WITH ANY 'BRAINS' IN THE CARIBBEAN TO LEAD THIS TEAM.

I believe Sarwan as captain is a step in the wrong direction. Anyone who has watched W.I work out on the morning of a match would realise he set the worse example. He does not train with any intensity and as a leader the team will take it s queue from him. He has not been able to work out his flaws so how do we expect him to help the younger ones. My main problem with him is atitude and discipline and I do not see this can change in a hurry. But for the good of W.I cricket people do change and I hope he does for the better

Gloom and doom are forecasted, the sky is falling, we are still waiting and wishing for the savior, the miracle man who will appear out of thin air, magically... lo & behold, WI cricket problems will be solved. Not going too happen.
Let us be realistic - there will be another year or two of miserable performances by WI but I believe SARWAN will be the one to turn the tide. He is young, he has at least a decade of leadership ahead, he can mold this team, instill confidence and discipline, and emerge as the undisputed leader of WI cricket team.

Unless he is hounded by the 'has beens' retired cricketers and 'know it all' cricket media, like they did to Lara. Give Ramnaresh a chance, this will be a long and painful process, it will not help if we continue to snipe and whine at the captain and the players.

What arrant nonsense from WICB that he is effectively on probation, he has been given 'targets', what targets? Personal batting average targets? Test wins v losses? ODI wins v losses? Can Sarwan deliver on behalf of a weak team? And, about the selectors? Aren't they accountable also? What are their targets? And, if they fail to deliver, will they be sent packing?

Just another demonstration of the bunch of worthless and ineffecient people running the WICB. I'd like to give them a target: clean up or get the hell outa there!

Deosaran Bisnath,
President,
West Indies Cricket Fans Association (WICFA)

This article is extremely biased, and I was not surprised that this comes from a Trini. Despite Ganga being a good captain at regional cricket, and having a good run of form, people have to admit that Sarwan's captaincy of Guyana is better considering the talent level of the team compared to T&T's.
In previous posts I see Bravo and Smith? Smith the person who is very inconsistent, and cannot hold down a position in the team? Shouldd you really consider him? Now what the article fails to do is to acknowledge the fact that on the occassions that Sarwan took over the team from Lara when he was injured, he actually captained the team better than Lara did. I'm sure most people in the Caribbean agree that Lara stayed way too long, and may have cost the West Indies a chance of winning, because he was too confident in his abilities in himself. I think we as Caribbean people often look at the negatives too often, and never really realize the positives that a person has. And that is something that has to change. The bulk of the responsibility falls on the captain to change things around on the field, in which I have no doubt Sarwan can do that, but during training, team selection and in the dressing room, the coach also has a responsibility, and dont forget about the players. A captain can never really be successful if they do not work hard at it, and maintain high fitness levels, and are disciplined in the field.
Sarwan has the qualities to lead, and the players do listen to him. But ultimately the question should be, whether or the not the players are willing to adapt and change their approach

west indies approcach to picking the team is so wrong these so call extra bat man that made 10 0r 20 runs and then give away 150 run because they are short of a bowlers. why sameul not in the team when he is scond best bat man in the west indies behind sarwan I am west indies now live in australia

Out of adversity, good fortune?
The unfortunate injury to Sarwan reminded me of Chris Gayle being unable to bend, on two occasions, to field medium hit drives during the England v West Indies World Cup match, which England won by one wicket with one ball to spare. Lack of fitness also contributed to Sarwan’s injury. Trying to collect the ball on the run Sarwan was like a 55 year old man, getting out of bed after a plentiful night at a good restaurant, and unwisely trying to bend to fetch his socks from the floor. Sarwan toppled over like a badly overstuffed sack of potatoes, or pies even. One still sympathises over the injury. But out of adversity, good fortune? Enter Darren Ganga.

Most West Indies fans have not grasped fully the damage done to West Indies cricket during the Lara era. Lara’s send off in Barbados was brilliant and well deserved. Yet, it was sad to see Lara in the World Cup, giving it his all, 150% commitment, trying his hardest, when it was all too late. The indiscipline, lack of professionalism and fitness and captaincy by whim and fancy all of which he himself had both generated and led in the previous seven years had become too embedded to be overcome by one mighty effort. Lara is still the best batsman in the world. The fact that he was not selected for the England tour as a batsman and mentor to the new captain finally admits it all. The selection committee will explain that the WICB simply wants a new start. But of course a new start would not exclude the world’s best batman and a man of so much experience. Lara was probably left out because of the suspicion his presence might create problems of discipline and undermining for the new captain. The irony of this is that the new captain is a fully paid up member of the Jolly Roger crew, who could claim to be as unfit as anyone and who might not be all that keen on practising if the sun was too hot. Not to worry. The WICB took care of any concerns by telling the new captain of the rules and standards they expected.

Sarwan’s appointment as captain was probably a compromise. It missed the point. The situation of West Indies cricket is so dire that it cannot afford the leisure of incremental change. It needs a breakthrough revolution beginning with the captaincy and including the structure, operations, finances, management, decision making and transparency of West Indies cricket.

What matters right now for West Indies cricket is that change must start on this tour. For that to happen the captain must be a definite leader and manager who is able to think two overs ahead, have the brains to base his on field decisions on astute thinking and the stats and intelligence information available rather than on whim and fancy. He must be able to elicit discipline and commitment by a mere look (Clive Lloyd), exemplify the pride of all the West Indian nations in everything he does on and off the field (Viv Richards) and, it has to be said, he needs to be able to string a few words together and be at ease with the modern media. In the present situation it is absolutely does not matter if the captain is not fully test class as a batsman or bowler. Now that luck has helped them out will the WICB be strong enough to maintain Ganga as captain even after Sarwan is fit? If the Board can see the big picture it will.

The problem is not about loosing matches. We West Indies fans have never been bad losers. It is the manner of the defeats, subsiding even without a whimper, the indiscipline and the unprofessional behaviour and attitudes among the players that have never been seen before in West Indies cricket that have been so shocking.

For the moment I am happy the Gods have thrown us Ganga. Go on Darren. Make me a proud Bajun and West Indian. It’s not if we loose. It’s not how much we lose by. It’s the rebuilding that counts; and yes, the PRIDE.

Sarwan's injury was a blessing in disguise. Hopefully Ganga's spectacular failure will put the clam on Vaneisa Baksh, but don't bet your mortgage on it. Sarwan is a gambler, blah blah blah and Ganga is decidely more mature...what a bunch of baloney. Maybe now, Sarwan can assume the captaincy without having to look over his shoulder at the very mature, articulate, stoic and resilient Darren Ganga. Now that Ganga has played himself out of the WI team, maybe Ms. Vaneisa Baksh should now encourage Ganga to run for PM of Trinidad & Tobago.
P.S. I waited a long time to write this response and sure enough, Ganga was up to the task of failing again at the top level. Of course, he's Trini to the bone!

Sarwan wasn't a natural leader in my opinion, but he's possibily the only man in West Indies Cricket to produce some memorable performance. Then look at Ganga, top score 139 and averaging 28, as a test match openers is surely not good enough, even though he's a more natural leader than Sarwan. Captain must play a major part of the match and if captain fail. Team morale will faltter. For the time being nor Ganga or Sarwan could acheive the task to lift the team morale in England. But uncharacteristicly it is Chanderpaul who is the only person the deliver and complete the task, so why don't people like Chanderpaul, or Chris Gayle, the people who have outstanding records, to take the captaincy??