He looks the same, sounds the same, blasts bowlers to all parts of grounds in the same dominant fashion - but Brian Lara is very different these days.

Time and events have had an immense effect on the man now charged with leading the West Indies cricket team's revival as the former international powerhouse seek their way back to the top.

It is a more mature and patient soul who is embracing - rather than wrestling with - the mantle of leadership in this his second coming.

This time, he is ready.

This time, he is willing, and those who witnessed his recent batting exploits versus Australia and Sri Lanka can attest he is most certainly able to still lead by example as he grooms a young brigade to recapture the glorious legacy bequeathed to them by great predecessors like Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards, Michael Holding and the late Malcolm Marshall.

Long before the whirlwind six weeks between April 18 and June 6, 1994, when he reeled off a stunning successions of three-figure scores - including record Test and first-class landmarks of 375 and 501 not out - Lara was earmarked for lofty heights.

However, as often happens in not-so-fairytale instances, handling such achievements and their spin-offs proved harder than he anticipated - not that he knew what to expect.

The resulting effect was that while Lara had arrived as a superstar he was not the happiest person and his turmoils in and out of cricket are as well documented as the magnificent feats that illuminate his statistics.

Now, at 34, he speaks with an easiness and a freedom that indicate he has come to terms with his past and is eager to meet his future.

"I had a period pre-1994 where I wanted to be recognised, I wanted to get in stride in the team and then all of a sudden, during a six-week period, something happened that I really was not expecting and, post-June 1994, the whole world - not attacked me but - wanted a piece of me and I really didn't know what to do with it.

"I wasn't taught anything. I didn't learn anything when I was younger (about how) to handle that sort of pressure and that sort of scrutiny. Now I've matured and I've realised that these things happen and I've gained a lot of experience.

"People ask `If you had to do it again would you do it differently?' but I don't want to do it again. I've had my experience, be it good or bad.

"Hopefully, I've got a lot of life left and a lot of different things to achieve in life off the cricket field and I'll use this experience to help me in the future," said the West Indies skipper, in Bermuda for his first visit.

"Now I am more relaxed and I realise I've got to live my life and people are going to be intrusive and people are going to want a part of me.

"You've just got to make sure you have that medium where you know you're going to have great days and you're going to have bad days and not allow yourself to get swamped, if not you're going to be a very depressed person.

"I just try to keep an even keel. Relax and take things easy, live one day at a time."

Finding this inner peace has also helped the dazzling left-hander refocus on cricket - the game he once fled from, despairing that it was ruining his life.

Asked to resume leadership of the regional side after its dismal performance in this year's World Cup, Lara acceded and began his second stint at the helm; on this occasion with a clearer agenda as he enters the home stretch of his career.

"The majority of my career has spent in the decline of West Indies cricket and even though I have had good performances, as a team, we did not do what people were expecting of us.

"Of course we want to be back at the top and I want to see us get back there before I end.

"My enthusiasm for the game has always been there. As captain the second time around it's greater - I have more experience; I understand people more; understand more about player management; I know what to do in certain situations.

"I didn't have that experience three or four years ago when I relinquished the captaincy. I have visions mainly of seeing us get back to the top and to be a part of that.

"I know we've got the ability and I know I'm not going to be around when (Ramnaresh) Sarwan and others are hitting their straps and making big names for themselves when they are 25 or 26 but it would be nice to put them on the right course and to leave West Indies cricket in a positive way.

"As an individual it's good to have milestones but I'm playing a team sport and my number one goal is to see West Indies cricket get back to the top.

"I've got great responsibility as West Indies captain and I want to try to fulfil that. I want to make a big effort and do what people want me to do. I want them to see something positive from me and I'm channelling my energy in that direction."

Given such desires, personal accomplishments are no longer twirling over in his mind though he has stated he wants to overtake Sir Vivian Richards as the most prolific West Indies Test batsman. He needs just another 137 runs to overhaul the legendary Antiguan's record of 8,540.

"I've had my fair share of individual goals. I would love to see the team do well with the young guys coming up and having healthy competition within the team and us moving up the ladder.

"Where they have us ranked in world cricket is embarrassing. It's not where we're supposed to be and it's not something we're accustomed to," he said, quipping that rankings were only introduced following the West Indies' 20-year grip on international cricket.

Despite his interest in his younger peers establishing themselves, Lara warns he will continue being a force to be reckoned with and intends to command his place in the middle order.

"I would love to be a major player in West Indies cricket - not just as a leader. I've still got a competitive spirit and I want to be the best batsman in the world.

"The young players will get competition from me. I'm not going to lay back and lead the team but perform average. I'm going to still be performing at my best."

Though it's almost ten years since he hit global headlines with 375 versus England at the Antigua Recreation Ground and then 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in the English County competition, those signature moments "will always be cherished".

Yet, he does not consider them his most endearing on-field memories. Prior to this year, the 1999 victory against Australia in Barbados (Lara scored 153 not out) - during his roller-coaster first term as captain - held pride of place.

That has now been surpassed by the West Indies' record run chase (418 for seven) against the same opponents in May. What stands out in his mind about that was the youthful team which overcame the Aussies' well-oiled machinery.

"With this West Indies team so young - averaging age 24 or 25 - I thought it was a phenomenal achievement; something that made me proud to be a West Indian."

Such unparalleled greatness is invaluable inspiration for the future, he notes.

"Just put the facts on the table. We were playing against the best team in the world who have gone to nearly every country - except maybe India and Sri Lanka - and beaten the opposition. They are here in the West Indies, they've won the series and are 3-0 up going into the last Test match and we do something that has never be done before - and for this young team to do it.

"If that doesn't serve as a tool for self-belief, nothing else will. That shows we have what it takes to play at our best and to beat the best."

As he continues coming to terms with who the real Brian Lara is and his place in West Indies cricket, the top-ranked Test batsman is also grappling with issues in his personal life.

The death of his mother and closest confidante, Pearl, in January 2002 cut deep. His normally soft voice drops a decibel or two as he opens up about his loss.

"That's been very, very difficult. Both my parents are now gone. My mum had a calming influence in my life. She really and truly cared about her son, not about what I achieved or about giving me advice on what to do or what not to do.

"She was concerned about my well-being; about Brian - full stop. To lose her was definitely a big blow; a sad moment," said the Trinidad native whose cricket-crazy father, Bunty, died in 1988 before his son reached Test level.

However, his ten brothers and sisters have taken up the slack and are rallying around the celebrity in their midst.

"I've got a big family. There's 11 of us and they still have a big influence on me and they support me a lot. So we come together and gain a lot of energy and strength from each other and this is what it's all about.

"I've got my siblings and a couple close friends - that's who I draw my strength from. It's not going to replace my mum but it's going to do for me."