West Indies great Brian Lara ignites bitter feud with former captains Viv Richards and Carl Hooper
Brian Lara has been slammed by former West Indies teammates Sir Viv Richards and Carl Hooper for "gross misrepresentations" over the pair in his new book.
An extract from the legendary batter's biography, Lara: the England Chronicles, claimed his former captains "used to make me cry every week."
"Viv's tone of voice is intimidating and if you're not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it," Lara wrote.
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Sir Viv Richards at the Queen's Park Oval. Getty
Richards and Hooper labelled the claims as "categorically false" and requested their former teammate "issues a since apology for the harm caused."
"Sir Vivian Richards and Mr. Carl Hooper are deeply disheartened by the gross misrepresentations made about them in Mr. Brian Lara's recently released book," a joint statement from the duo wrote.
"The allegations presented not only distort the reality of their relationship but also impugn their characters in an unjust and harmful manner.
"It is crucial for the integrity of public discourse and their personal and professional lives that the truth is set right."
Carl Hooper hits out during the C & G Trophy match in 2003. Getty
Lara also claimed Hooper "shied away" from the behaviour of his teammate.
But the 57-year-old Hooper dismissed the claim and declared Richards "never caused emotional distress."
"Sir Vivian, as Mr. Hooper's first captain, has never caused emotional distress to Mr. Hooper. On the contrary, he has always acted as an encouraging mentor and provided unwavering support," the statement said.
"Their nearly 40-year relationship has been founded on mutual respect and camaraderie.
"The misrepresentation of their interactions in Mr. Lara's book is a grave disservice to the truth and has caused undue distress to both parties and their families."
The former captains accused Lara of "attempting to profit from such deceit" in an act they find "inconceivable" considering his status in the cricket world.
Brian Lara pictured with Sir Viv Richards in his 100th Test. Getty
Lara and Richards featured in an ODI at Lords on the 1991 tour of England, the pair's only international together.
Lara wrote that batting with Richards was "every young man's dream to be waiting in the middle, watching the Greatest walk onto the field."
Lara scored 11,953 Test runs, the seventh most of all time.
He both led and played under Hooper and they were teammates at the 2003 World Cup.
Despite the criticism, Lara also praised Hooper as a greater talent than Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar (centre left) and Brian Lara (centre right) look on at the Bushfire Cricket Bash T20 match. Getty
"The ease in which he batted brought out a kind of awe in us, and in all of us, even the senior players," Lara wrote.
"Carl was easily one of the best players I've ever seen. I would say that not even Tendulkar and I would come close to that talent.
"It is sad that only as a captain did he fulfill his true potential."
