Brian Lara joins as ‘Performance Mentor’ for West Indies

West Indies legendary batter Brian Lara has been appointed as the Performance Mentor of the Caribbean side. Cricket West Indies confirmed the news on Friday, January 27. Lara will work across formats with the international sides as well as with the academy. He will assist the various coaches with regard to “providing players with tactical advice and improving their game sense". He will also help out Jimmy Adams, the Director of Cricket in strategic planning of the forthcoming World Series tournament. 

“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," Lara said.

The 53 year old’s first assignment in the new role will be with the Test side on the tour of Zimbabwe, where he has already joined the squad ahead of the opening test in Bulawayo on February 4. Lara will take a short break in the middle to discharge his duties as the head coach of the Hyderabad franchise during the course of Ind T20 League 2023. 

Following their early elimination from the 2022 T20 World Series, Lara was recently named to the CWI review panel. They were then whitewashed 2-0 by Australia in a Test series and are now looking for a course correction as they prepare for this year's 50-over World Cup in India.

"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," Adams said. "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."