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Cricketing legend from the West Indies, Brain Lara has pinpointed two players crucial to his nation’s aspirations of staging a significant Test upset in Australia over the upcoming two weeks.
Brian Lara’s crucial role as West Indies mentor
Lara has assumed a crucial role as a mentor for the West Indies in their upcoming Test series against Australia, commencing on January 17 in Adelaide. Despite his primary role as a commentator for Fox Cricket during the series, Lara’s insightful contributions will play a pivotal role in enhancing the performance of the less-experienced West Indies team, particularly focusing on their batting unit. His influential presence in the dressing room is anticipated to significantly boost the team’s confidence as they embark on the challenging Test series against Australia.
Lara singles out two key players crucial for West Indies’
Ahead of the opening Test in Adelaide, Lara emphasized the importance of young players Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze in the West Indies’ batting order.
Lara expressed confidence in Athanaze’s talent, anticipating that he will showcase his abilities in any conditions against formidable attacks, especially against the tough Australians.
“Alick Athenaze is somebody who I believe that, you know, is going to come and show (talent). I think he has the ability to perform in any conditions against any sort of attack, so I’m looking forward to seeing him come up against the tough Australians,” Lara was quoted as saying by foxsports.com.au.
Also READ: AUS vs WI 2024: West Indies’ best playing XI for Test series against Australia
The Trinidad and Tobago-born cricketer also mentioned Chanderpaul, noting his impressive performances from 14 months ago. Although Chanderpaul has experienced a leveling off, Lara believed he has the right approach to be successful, given his love for challenges. He looks forward to seeing if Chanderpaul can elevate his game and show improvement from his performances over a year ago.
“Tagenarine Chanderpaul came across here 14 months ago and pretty much impressed everyone. He (has) sort of leveled off a bit, but I still feel that he has the right approach to be a success. He loves challenges and I’m looking forward to seeing if he can … raise his game and show some sort of improvement from … his performances 14 months ago. So those are the two guys that I have been looking for and hoping that they can truly come forward and sort of be firm structures in our batting lineup,” the 54-year-old concluded.
West Indies’ uphill battle against Australia
However, the West Indies face a daunting challenge to outperform Australia, who recently secured a dominant 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan. The West Indies have struggled in away series, with just one notable victory in the past five years—a two-nil triumph over Bangladesh in early 2021. The upcoming series against Australia presents a significant test for the West Indies, and they will need to overcome the formidable Australian side to register a positive result.
Also READ: AUS vs WI, 2024: Australia’s best playing XI for the Test series against West Indies
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