Former West Indies batting star and captain Brian Lara has agreed to take on a role as ‘performance mentor’ with the West Indies teams and academy, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced on Thursday.
Lara, who scored almost 12,000 runs across 131 Test matches as well as playing 299 one-day internationals, will support the various head coaches across all formats in providing players with tactical advice and improving their game sense.
Lara will assist the various coaches with regard to “providing players with tactical advice and improving their game sense”. He will also work with Jimmy Adams, the Director of Cricket, on ICC World Cup tournament strategic planning.
“Having spent time with the players and coaches in Australia and in discussions with CWI, I really believe that I can help the players with their mental approach to the game and with their tactics to be more successful,” Lara said.
The 53-year-old Lara’s first assignment in the new role will be with the Test side on the tour of Zimbabwe, where he has already joined the squad ahead of the first Test in Bulawayo on February 4. Lara will take a short break in the middle to discharge his duties as the head coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the course of IPL 2023.
The 52-year-old was recently part of a three-man panel that provided a review of West Indies’ early exit from Twenty20 World Cup.
The report warned that West Indies cricket may “cease to exist” unless the issue of its players prioritizing global Twenty20 leagues ahead of international duties is resolved.
They were subsequently swept 2-0 by Australia in a Test series and now seek a course correction as they build towards this year’s 50-over World Cup in India.
“I am really looking forward to Brian making a significant contribution to our cricket system by providing invaluable guidance and advice to our players and coaches,” Adams said.
“We are confident that Brian will help to improve our high-performance mindset and strategic culture that will bring us more success on the field across all formats. Everyone is excited to have Brian involved in supporting our players.”