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Brian Lara, the most controversial, celebrated and pampered of contemporary cricketers, was last night put on probation as West Indies Test captain.

He was grudgingly and conditionally retained for the first half of the forthcoming home series against Australia.

Although berating Lara, manager Clive Lloyd and coach Malcolm Marshall for their part in the humiliating thrashing in the recent series in South Africa, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Pat Rousseau announced that they would be retained for the first two of the four Tests, after which their status would be reviewed.

He said the WICB, at an eagerly anticipated all-day meeting in Antigua yesterday, had accepted its selection panel's recommendation to limit Lara's tenure in the series.

But he made it plain that Lara had been read the riot act.

``We have told Mr. Lara that he needs to make significant improvements in his leadership skills,'' Rosseau said at a Press conference, beamed live on radio and television across the Caribbean.

``To this end he will be given specific performance targets by the chairman of selectors related to improvement in his relationship with his players, discipline and with an emphasis on punctuality, interaction with the coach and manager and nurturing and development of his team members.

``At the end of the second Test, the selectors will assess Mr. Lara's perfomances as captain against the targets set and decide on the appointment of the captain for the next two Tests,'' he said.

Rousseau said WICB investigations, including separate meetings between a special sub-committee and the selectors with Lara, Lloyd and Marshall, ``pointed clearly to weakness in leadership that contributed to poor performance of the team'' in South Africa.

He pointed out that Lara himself had reported difficulties in achieving unity among the players and that ``problems were also evident'' at the level of manager Lloyd and coach Marshall.

The left-handed Lara's turbulent career has been marked by high achievement, a recent distinct decline and repeated run-ins with the Board.

His world record Test and first-class scores, made in the space of six weeks between April and June, elevated him to an international reputation few cricketers have ever known.

The resulting fame and fortune turned his life upside down and he has never been the same player - or the same man - since.

His Test average has slipped from over 60 to just under 50 and he has not scored a hundred for 13 Tests. He averaged 31 in the five Tests in South Africa.

His disciplinary record is longer than any other West Indian in the past four years.

He was fined 10 per cent of his tour fee for temporarily abandoning the team on the 1995 tour of England, reprimanded and warned for derogatory comments made against team management during the 1996 World Cup and fined for reporting late prior to the first Test against Sri Lanka in 1997.

Recognising his potential as captain, the selectors first put forward Lara as captain prior to the 1997 tour of Pakistan. But the WICB baulked, rejected the recommendation and retained the incumbent Courtney Walsh.

He was finally installed prior to the England home series last year, following the West Indies 3-0 drubbing in the Tests in Pakistan under Walsh.

A double triumph over England - 3-1 in the Tests and 4-1 in the One-Day internationals - represented a rousing start to the captaincy but the South African debacle revealed weaknesses in his leadership that were identified by Rousseau last night.

The convoluted methods of WICB discipline, so obvious in its past dealings with Lara and others, were again evident last night.

Rousseau revealed that fast bowler Franklyn Rose and batsman Stuart Williams had been reported for disciplinary action following the South African tour.

Yet, a few miles away from where they were meeting at the Rex Halcyon Hotel, Williams was captain of the Board XI playing against the Australians in the opening match of their tour at the Antigua Recreation Ground.