Brian Lara appointed as performance mentor for West Indies

Legendary batter Brian Lara has been appointed by the Cricket West Indies (CWI) as a performance mentor for the West Indies national team across formats. He will work with both the players and the board as the Windies aim to revive themselves in the cricketing landscape.

The former West Indies captain will work closely with the head coaches in terms of providing tactical advice to the players and improving their game sense.

He is also slated to work closely with CWI president Jimmy Adams on the team's strategy and planning for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Lara, whose first assignment comes in the form of a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe away from home, told CWI following his appointment as a mentor:

"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."

A CWI press statement also included comments from the president, who expressed his delight at having Lara on board. 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."

It is to be noted that Lara's new commitments with the national team will not hinder his other ventures. He is still set to take charge of Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as the head coach following Tom Moody's departure.

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Brian Lara was part of a three-member review panel appointed by CWI to dissect the team's T20 World Cup 2022

The two-time T20 World Cup winners not only failed to qualify for the Super 12 stage directly, but they couldn't even get past the preliminary round under Nicholas Pooran.

Defeats to Scotland and Ireland ended their campaign in Australia, where they also suffered a humbling 2-0 Test series defeat soon after.

CWI roped in Brian Lara, former Australia coach Mickey Arthur and Patrick Thompson Jr to review the debacle and the findings were not optimistic by any means.

The panel feared that West Indies cricket might "cease to exist as an entity" and highlighted other issues through their report.

Will the former captain's appointment and input be the catalyst that West Indies cricket desperately needs? Let us know what you think.

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