As gaping holes go, Brian Lara's absence from the forthcoming Test series in England is perhaps the biggest of them all. Not since 1988 have West Indies travelled to these shores without Lara, and when their preparations began in the indoor nets in Taunton yesterday something was missing. Lord's on Thursday morning will not feel the same.
"To be honest I don't think you can ever fill his shoes either as a batsman or a captain. It's always going to be difficult because of what he has achieved," said Ramnaresh Sarwan, his replacement as captain, who leads West Indies for the first time tomorrow in a three-day warm-up match against Somerset.
A month ago Lara announced that he would retire from one-day internationals at the end of the World Cup but he was still expected to play in the four-Test series in England. Although the reasons for his change of mind are yet to be revealed, reports suggest he jumped before he was pushed by the West Indies Cricket Board.
It was in England that Lara claimed what is still the highest individual score in first-class cricket - 501 not out for Warwickshire in 1994 - and that against Michael Vaughan's side he broke Matthew Hayden's record for most individual Test runs in an innings - 400 not out in 2004. The 38-year-old's retirement will enhance England's chances of extending their nine-year unbeaten Test series record against West Indies but few would begrudge him a final hurrah on English soil .
"If you take out of a team a man who has scored 11,953 Test runs, that's a big gap to fill," said David Moore, West Indies' new coach, who replaced Bennett King after the World Cup defeat to England last month. "We're not going to get a replacement who is as good as Brian Lara, that's the bottom line, because it just doesn't happen every day. This man is a once-in-a-generation cricketer.
"Having said that, we've got guys who are going to put their hand up and do the very best they can for West Indies cricket and I think we've got some guys in here who can actually step up and score good-quality runs at times that we need."
Moore is charged with organising a young group of players who are embroiled in contractual disputes with the West Indies Cricket Board and have won only three of their past 37 Test matches. As part of a crackdown on indiscipline, before leaving for the UK the squad was issued with a code-of-conduct handbook, which includes an 11.30pm tour curfew.
Sarwan's only disciplinary problem has come with the bat. The 26-year-old averages under 40 in Test cricket and acknowledges that he has fallen victim to a lack of concentration at the crease, but he is hoping the captaincy will improve the fortunes of both himself and the team.
"I'm very proud," he said. "Obviously it's a great feeling for me and a great achievement. When you start to play, every young man's dream is to captain their country. I have achieved that and now a bigger job lies ahead. West Indies cricket is in a bit of turmoil and it's very important for this group of young guys to try to pull as a team and help West Indies cricket move forward. It's not going to happen overnight - it's going to be a pro-cess, a long process."
That said, Sarwan is confident his side are well equipped to add to England's recent misery. "We feel we can win the series," he added. "That's the reason why we're here - we're playing to win."