``All Guyana,'' she wrote, ``is proud that with your elevation to the post of Captain of the West Indies team you have reached the pinnacle of your illustrious cricketing career. From this height of attainment we are confident that you will lead by example to lift our team to greater victories now and in the near future.

``I congratulate you on your well-deserved avchievement and wish you and your glorious West Indies team all success.''

The PNM has also extended congratulations to Lara on his elevation to the captaincy. In a release the party said it always had confidence in the ability of Lara and was sure that his term as captain would be an ``unparalelled sucess''.

Noting that Lara had secured another place in the record books by being captain of the Trinidad and Tobago team, his county team in England and West Indies captain, it said ``his elevation is the culmination of a serious of record-breaking achievements during his distinguished career''.

Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Pamela Nicholson had been the first to send a congratulatory message to Lara when the news broke on Wednesday afternoon.

In a news release, the Minister stated ``We, the people of Trinidad and Tobago, stand ready and willing to provide all the moral and psychological support to Brian and the members of the West Indies Cricket Team and we are indeed extremely happy that this Captaincy has finally been bestowed on him.

``We know that this achievement which has eluded a Trinidadian cricketer for 45 years brings with it a very special challenge and responsibility.''

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, the United National Congress and the Secondary Schools Cricket Council are also among those who sent off messages to the 28-year-old T&T captain to mark his attainment of a life-long ambition.