By Oliver Brett

If not quite a poisoned chalice, then the job of West Indies cricket captain is hardly sport's most enticing proposition.

Ramnaresh Sarwan will be the new captain of the Caribbean men when the first Test starts at Lord's on 17 May.

Sarwan takes over the captaincy mantle from Brian Lara

He will not want to be reminded of the fact that West Indies have not won a Test match away from home, excluding two series in Zimbabwe and one in Bangladesh, since June 2000.

On their last tour of England, in 2004, Sarwan was one of West Indies' four main batsmen.

Shiv Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle both had good series, while his own efforts yielded a more modest haul of 267 runs at 33.37 - similar to the then skipper Brian Lara.

Three years on, with the legendary Lara retired and Chanderpaul deep into veteran territory, Sarwan and Gayle remain in the side, doing their best to prevent one catastrophe after another.

They both have slightly disappointing batting averages in Tests (below 40) and good ones in one-day internationals (above 40).

But while Gayle has taken more of the headlines, with his dashing batting style, model girlfriend, and outrageously laid-back demeanour, Sarwan - the official vice-captain in recent times - is the one who has been groomed for the captaincy.

He is not always the most dynamic-looking character.

Batting at Taunton in West Indies' opening tour match

On that 2004 tour, I remember seeing him at an official function in Birmingham skulking in the background, fiddling with his mobile phone.

But West Indies coach David Moore - like Sarwan, he has rather been flung into the limelight - says the 26-year-old is a shrewd choice, and says he may have much to offer as a captain.

Certainly Lara, arguably the finest left-handed batsman ever, was not blessed with similar talents in terms of team leadership.

But this is Moore on Sarwan: "He is a quality cricketer, and has excellent technical and tactical knowledge of the game which we haven't had an opportunity to see because he has been vice-captain to Brian.

606: DEBATE I feel West Indies have a more decent bowling attack than their batting line-up SB

"I'm looking forward to seeing Ronnie captain the side and I think we will benefit from his knowledge in that regard.

"I don't think Brian was deficient in any areas really but I think Ramnaresh will bring a different perspective.

"It will be fresh ideas and he will bring it across in a different fashion.

An ugly shouting match with Glenn McGrath in Antigua in 2003

"He is younger than Brian so he is a bit closer to the group with regards to age so that gap might be shortened a little bit."

The captaincy is a vital aspect of any West Indies rebuilding process.

And already, Sarwan has been impressively candid in his first interview in England. "West Indies cricket is in a bit of turmoil," was one of the first things he said.

And he has approved an 11.30pm curfew imposed on the players by the West Indies Cricket Board.

The next stage, inevitably, is results. But Sarwan will need to be judged on his performances in the next two years than in the next few weeks.

Losing Lara from the middle order will be like losing a major organ for this West Indies team, whose bowling will struggle to make up for the shortfall.