Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment at his long time team-mate Shivnarine Chanderpaul not getting a ‘proper send-off’ in international cricket. Lara called Chanderpaul, who announced his retirement on Saturday, one of the giants of West Indies cricket.
“I was very disappointed that Shiv was not allowed a couple of more Test matches, not necessarily to break the record but to have a proper send-off. Something I think he is very disappointed [about] and unfortunately that did not happen,” Lara said.”That guy with the most Test matches for the West Indies, playing for over 20 years, I don’t think people in the West Indies understand exactly his contribution.”
Chanderpaul is West Indies’ second-highest scorer with 11,867 runs in 164 Tests, 86 behind Lara who scored 11,953 in 131 Tests. At 41, Chanderpaul had not played for West Indies since May 2015; the selectors dropped him after a poor home series against England.
“Shiv, who played since 1994, had a tremendous career. I started with Shiv in Guyana and remember his first Test match against England,” Lara said. “He has been a great servant for West Indies cricket and he has done some tremendous things throughout his career, and credit must be given to the man for how he has played.
“When I do have the opportunity to give him a call and thank him, I will because for me he was one of the giants of West Indies cricket.”