What others said

Published : Apr 28, 2007 00:00 IST

As far as the West Indies team is concerned, Brian Lara as a captain and all the comments that have been made, sometimes people don't look at the facts. The facts are that the West Indies in the last two-and-a-half years have had a tremendous amount of problems.

— Sir Garry Sobers, the legendary West Indian all-rounder.

He was a great servant to West Indies cricket. His legacy is fantastic, a great batsman, 400 in a Test, 501 in first-class cricket, it's a huge legacy.

— Wes Hall, West Indies' fast bowling legend.

Lara is a very strong man. He has come under a lot of scrutiny but his mental strength stands out.

— Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is tipped to take over as West Indies captain.

Lara stayed on for longer than he should have, and now it's time to thank him and look forward.

— Michael Holding, former West Indian fast bowler.

It is his decision to retire and I can't say it's wrong. A captain can only be judged by his success record, and that's not good in his case. Now we have to take drastic steps to carry West Indies cricket forward.

— Joel Garner, former West Indian fast bowler.

I've always thought Brian Lara and Sachin (Tendulkar) have been the two greatest batsmen I've ever played against. Brian has got the ability to turn it on when he wants and take an attack apart and Sachin has been the most technically correct player I've seen.

— Ricky Ponting, Australia captain.

Brian is probably unheralded as far as technique goes. He's got an unusual, unorthodox technique, which makes bowlers look embarrassed at times. I love the way he manipulates the field. It's a pretty sad day for cricket because he is a tremendous ambassador for the game.

— Matthew Hayden, Australia opener.

I heard him say he wanted to be an entertainer; he was all that and more. He was a player who created interest in New Zealand and around the world — so he brought more players to the game. For a left-hander he was inspirational to watch and play against.

— Stephen Fleming, New Zealand captain.

Just as important as the runs he scored and the way he scored them, Brian has also played in a way that has been true to the spirit of cricket and we should be grateful for that too because players are role models for the next generation.

— Malcolm Speed, International Cricket Council CEO.

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