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Lara's theme: from Prince, to pauper

West Indies superstar Brian Lara suffered the rare experience of being heckled by his own supporters, as Warwickshire, the county he captains, crashed out of the NatWest Trophy at the last eight stage.

Beaten at home by Essex by a thumping eight wicket margin, Lara endured storms of abuse from county members.

Fans appeared to think, judging by their sneers, that they felt the 200,000 pounds being paid to Lara was just so much money down the drain.

Warwickshire were bowled out for 98, their lowest score in the competition, with Alan Mullally taking a competition-best five for 18. His captain, Chris Lewis, said of the England selectors' decision to overlook Mullally in the Trent Bridge Test: "They should spend some time at Leicester".

In his turn, Lara responded by rebuking the county members and team followers, telling them that the point of being a fan is to support a side not only when it is winning, but also during the bad times. "No player goes out there to lose," Lara said. "If the fans can't respect that, then I can't class them as proper supporters."

Admitting that the defeat came as a severe personal blow, the Windies star said that he had no intention of resigning. "All the players are embarassed by our recent performance, and so am I," admitted Lara, "But I still want to see it through."

County chief executive Dennis Amiss has indicated that he wanted Lara, on a three year contract with the county, to see out the season as captain.

All this comes in marked contrast to the start of the season, when Lara's takeover as captain was expected to usher in a relaxed, more casual atmosphere in the county.

There was supposed to be a rare chemistry, between the most laid back of international captains and the most professional of counties.

His first outing with the county, in 1994, was not like that. Fresh from his record breaking 375 Test runs against England, Lara was so hungry for more that he would bolt his lunch and head back into the nets, during the interval of games, to practise yet again.

His first seven innings in the championship that year were mind boggling: 147, 106, 120*, 136, 26, 140 and 501*.

1,176 runs in seven innings off an incredible 1,175 balls.

And then the fountain dried up, and Lara became a mortal again, scoring just three more centuries in the remainder of the season, while going ton-less in the limited overs competition.

By then, he was the king who could do no wrong -- not even when his substitute fielder was seen more often than he was, while Lara's appearances were increasingly confined to the batting crease.

Neither then captain Dermot Reeve, nor then coach Bob Woolmer, liked it much, especially when Lara developed a penchant for preferring to drive his girlfriend of the moment around rather than turn up for home matches.

Perhaps the extent of his increasing lack of commitment is best underlined by one incident. With the county having to win the last Sunday League match of the season, away to Gloucestershire, to take the title.

And Lara landed up just minutes before the start. While the rest of the team had stayed the night at Bristol, Lara preferred the comforts -- and company -- of Birmingham, driving down on the morning of the game and promptly losing his way.

But such is the charm of Lara that though the players, and coach, sometimes fumed at his antics, the county officials could see no wrong in him. And he left at season's end with an invitation to return, later, as captain.

In the interim, Lara had visibly fretted while Courtney Walsh held the Windies reins. Once he acquired the captaincy and fulfilled what was obviously a burning ambition, the left hander batsman has been in more relaxed mode, his skills at man management shining through in the way he kept both his veterans, Walsh and Curtley Ambrose, content to play under him.

His captaincy, for the national side, has been characterised by imagination and luck. And it was this that his county perhaps expected of him, when inviting him to return this season, and take over as captain.

It was a combination dreamt of in heaven -- Warwickshire, with the best drilled and motivated cricketers in the county circuit, led by a captain who bats with flair and leads with imagination.

Only, not all fairy tales end in "happily ever after".