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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the left-hander Guyanese batsman, is highly favoured to replace Brian Lara as West Indies captain after the second test against Australia starting Saturday, says the Weekend Independent paper here.

Quoting an informed source close to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the paper said in its latest edition dated March 12.

``Chanderpaul is the player least tarnished by all the trouble in South Africa'' where the West Indies suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat in the Tests.

The Independent further reports that there are, however, some views that Chanderpaul may not be able to control Lara and that the current captain may not be willing to play under the Guyanese.

It goes on to add: ``But that is no longer being seen as the reason to keep out Chanderpaul and change the image of the team.''

Lara, the 29-year-old Trinidadian, was appointed by the WICB for the first two tests of the four-match series against Australia.

According to the Independent, the mauling the West Indies suffered in the first test at the Queen's Park Oval here where the team recorded its lowest score of 51 in 71 years has possibly dealt a fatal blow to Lara's prospects of being named captain for the rest of the series.

The source quoted by the paper said further:

``Chanderpaul's appointment (as captain) will not create as much a problem with the people of the Caribbean,'' pointing out that Guyana have already declared he should be considered as he has led their national team.''

Because of injury, the 24-year-old Guyanese missed the opening test and was ruled out for selection in the second starting tomorrow (Saturday, March 13) at Sabina park in Jamaica.

Appointed captain for series against England in the Caribbean last year, Lara has come under mounting pressure from fans across the region to step down following the disastrous recent tour of South Africa.

But his supporters in Trinidad feel he should not be blamed for the trouble the team is in because he is surrounded by ``a squad which is a poor one.''