Brian Lara has resigned as West Indies captain blaming his team's "devastating failures", the West Indies Cricket Board has announced.

"After accepting the captaincy at the beginning of the 1998 season, I immediately set high but attainable goals for the West Indies team and myself," Lara said in his letter of resignation.

"After two years the moderate success and devastating failures that have engulfed West Indies cricket have brought me to the realization that there is a need for me to withdraw from my present leadership position."

Lara, rated as one of the game's finest batsmen, has had a very mixed record since he succeeded Courtney Walsh as captain prior to the 1998 series against England.

The West Indies won that series and then, inspired by Lara's scores of 213, 153 not out and 100 in successive Tests, drew the series against Australia last year.

'Difficult period'

But then came a 5-0 drubbing in the Tests and 6-1 loss in the one-day internationals in South Africa in 1998-99, followed by the loss of both Tests and all five one-day internationals in New Zealand last December and January.

The WICB will announce his successor at a later date.

The West Indies next play two Tests against Zimbabwe in the Caribbean starting 16 March, followed by a triangular series of one-day internationals with Zimbabwe and Pakistan and three Tests against Pakistan.

WICB president Pat Rousseau thanked Lara for his services "during a very difficult period of West Indies cricket".