Brian Lara has berated the West Indies selectors and the WICB for seeking to deny Shivnarine Chanderpaul the chance of a final Test series against Australia, demanding that his former teammate be reinstated for a farewell along the lines of that given to Sachin Tendulkar by the BCCI.
Chanderpaul, 40, was omitted from the West Indies training squad ahead of their two Tests against Australia following a significant downturn in his run-making during his two most recent series, where his average dipped to little more than 16 over six matches.
However, Lara said that Chanderpaul's contribution to the game, which left him narrowly short of surpassing Lara as the most prolific Test batsman in the history of the Caribbean region, merited a more respectful farewell than the one ultimately decided on by convenor of selectors Clive Lloyd and coach Phil Simmons.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with runs or numbers," Lara told the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. "It has to do with respect and Chanderpaul has earned the right to say goodbye in an acceptable way. In fact, he should be allowed to do it in his own way.
"The manner in which they deal with their players is despicable and should no longer be tolerated. When you look back to so many of our heroes and the manner in which they were dumped, it makes you shudder."
Lara contrasted Chanderpaul's fate with that of Tendulkar, who was granted a specially scheduled Test series at home against West Indies to end his own storied career. "What did they do?" Lara asked. "They organised a Test series in his honour and gave him a farewell in keeping with his contribution to the game.
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