Chanderpaul found life tough as West Indies captain

The 31-year-old, who took over from Brian Lara in March 2005, informed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) of his intentions in a letter.

"This will give me an opportunity to focus on my batting and other areas of my cricket," he said.

West Indies lost 10 of their 14 Tests under Chanderpaul's leadership, and won only one.

It was a similar story in limited overs internationals, with two wins and 14 defeats for his 16 games in charge.

"I have served my time as the captain and would like to pass the mantle on to another person," added Chanderpaul.

"I will fully support my replacement, and work towards the good of the team."

Former West Indies fast bowler Colin Croft was not surprised Chanderpaul has stepped down.

"Shivnarine Chanderpaul was a default captain. He was filling a space until some else could take over the mantle," said Croft.

"The truth is the captaincy of the West Indies cricket team seemed to be a job nobody wanted, so Chanderpaul was the next in line.

"I think he was given it more for his seniority than his acumen as a captain.

"The guy is a brilliant batsman but I don't think anyone would say he had captaincy ability."

Croft mentioned Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga as possibilities to take over the role.

Chanderpaul took the job in unusual circumstances after the Windies left seven players out of the squad to tour South Africa, including his predecessor Brian Lara, because of a sponsorship dispute.

The handover should be less troubled this time, but the WICB does not have long to find a replacement with a seven-match limited overs series against Zimbabwe starting on 29 April.

It is thought to be extremely unlikely they will turn to Lara for a third time.