Brian Lara to join West Indies cricket as performance mentor

One of the greatest batters in the history of the modern era, Brian Lara, has agreed to assist West Indies cricket as a 'performance mentor', the board announced on Thursday, January 26. 

West Indies cricket has been on a decline across formats since their heroics in the 2016 T20 World Cup, and the appointment of the former skipper comes as a welcome move from the board ahead of the ODI World Cup in India and the T20 World Cup at home next year. 

The 53-year-old will support the Head Coaches across age groups and share his vast knowledge and experience of playing international cricket whilst assisting the Director of Cricket in planning strategies for ICC tournaments. 

In a press release, CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said, "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."

"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,” he further added. 

Lara was delighted to be involved in the growth and development of West Indies cricket and said, "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."

"I'm looking forward to joining the group in Zimbabwe and the opportunity to work with other West Indies teams later in the year," he concluded. 

The southpaw's first assignment would be with the West Indies Test squad as they prepare for the first Test match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on February 4.