England v West Indies, 4th Test, The Brit Oval, 3rd day

Lara: 'I won't quit'

Wisden Cricinfo staff

August 21, 2004

Michael Vaughan: his team is running itself © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan praised a consummate team effort, as England launched into the celebrations of an historic summer of achievement. "It has been a tremendous summer," said Vaughan. "We have played good cricket, but it has been hard work. To get 20 wickets at each of the Test matches grounds is fantastic."

By winning the final Test at The Oval by 10 wickets, England carried their unbeaten run to 10 wins in 11 matches, including seven consecutive wins in a single summer. Only two England sides in history have equalled that run of form, which was last achieved by Percy Chapman's team, against West Indies and Australia in 1928-29.

"It has been a real team effort," added Vaughan. "We have seen new guys come in and play well. Every single player in the dressing-room has played a huge part in our success, and we will celebrate in the proper manner. It will not sink in for a few days what we have done this summer."

Vaughan's own form has been patchy - one glorious match at Lord's, in which he scored back-to-back centuries, has been balanced by more modest returns elsewhere, but with the team more or less running itself, he was able to reflect on a very happy summer's work. "I am pretty fortunate," he said. "I have a very good set of players here and I am just one who leads them out into the middle. We are getting the rewards for our hard work."

Brian Lara: refusing to quit © Getty Images

His mood was in stark contrast to that of Brian Lara, who vowed not to throw in the towel despite presiding over the whitewash. "England played really well, and congratulations must go to them," he said, but added that he was not about to walk away from the team. "I want my employers to know that I am here, willing to serve them in whatever capacity.

"I've seen captains in the past who have given up when they've been sacked," said Lara, whose role has been under ferocious scrutiny all summer. "I'm going to be around for a long time - I'm willing to do whatever job the West Indies Cricket Board wants me to do. It's my duty to be there to be an elder statesman in the West Indies cricket team for quite some time to come as long as I remain as an asset to the team."

West Indies have now lost nine of their last ten Tests against England, a side they once dominated so ruthlessly, and Lara admitted there would be no easy solution to West Indies' problems. "It's going to be very difficult to get a quick fix after a result such as this," he said. "We set a lot of targets in the dressing-room, but we achieve less than 50% of them.

"We're asking some very young guys to do a big man's job and they need every bit of help possible," he added, suggesting that a psychologist should be employed to help them come to terms with their responsibilities. "Each individual needs to be worked on to ensure they understand what international cricket is all about.

© Cricinfo

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