Garrick and Hinds replace Lara on tour

In the wake of Brian Lara's withdrawal from the West Indies cricket team last week, the WICB selectors have named opener Leon Garrick, and middle order batsman Wavell Hinds, as replacements for the Trinidadian left hander.

Garrick will join the team for the remainder of the triangular one-day series being played between West Indies, India and host Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Hinds will replace Lara for both the Tests series in Zimbabwe, as well as the tour of Kenya.

Lara, who was forced to withdraw from taking any further part in the tour of Zimbabwe because of a chronic strain of the right hamstring muscle, returned to the Caribbean late last week. The fact that Lara was even allowed to go on the tour of Zimbabwe raised many questions in the West Indies.

Lara himself admitted that he only "participated fully" in one day of a two-week training camp which was held ahead of the tour of Africa. The WICB had earlier announced that only those players who passed both fitness and health tests would make the tour of Africa.

The question of players going on tours at less than full fitness has raised its head once again. In 1998, Dinanath Ramnarine was "allowed" to tour South Africa having not fully recovered from a shoulder injury and had to be replaced by Rawl Lewis. Then, there was the case of Shivnarine Chanderpaul going on not one, but two tours (England and Australia), himself not being fully fit. On both occasions Chanderpaul had to return to the Caribbean. Marlon Samuels was Chanderpaul's replacement on the ill-fated tour of Australia.