Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has described Shivnarine Chanderpaul as 'one of the giants of the Caribbean cricket' and expressed that the recently retired batsman should have been given a 'proper send-off' in international cricket.
"I was very disappointed that Shiv was not allowed a couple of more Test matches, not necessarily to break the record but to have a proper send-off. Something I think he is very disappointed [about] and unfortunately that did not happen," Lara was quoted as saying by Jamaica Observer.
Chanderpaul, who played 164 Test matches for West Indies, remained 86 runs short of surpassing Lara as the highest West Indian Test run-maker. He ended his career with 11,867 runs.
The veteran batsman had been sidelined from the squad since May 2015 following a weak performance during the three-Test series at home against England. Despite harbouring hopes of making a comeback, Chanderpaul was not given annual contract by the West Indies Cricket Board last month.
"That guy with the most Test matches for the West Indies, playing for over 20 years, I don't think people in the West Indies understand exactly his contribution.
"He has been a great servant for West Indies cricket and he has done some tremendous things throughout his career, and credit must be given to the man for how he has played," Lara remarked.