Brian Lara slams Cricket West Indies for early player retirements
What's the story
The legendary Brian Lara has criticized Cricket West Indies (CWI) for its failure to retain top players like Nicholas Pooran. Pooran, who has been making waves in T20 cricket, recently announced his retirement from international cricket at 29, a move that Lara believes is due to the board's lack of incentives for star players. He highlighted this issue in light of West Indies's recent humiliating defeat against Australia, where they were bowled out for just 27 runs.
Context
Why does this story matter?
CWI recently called an emergency meeting with legends Lara, Clive Lloyd, and Vivian Richards. The meeting came in the wake of West Indies' 0-3 Test series loss to Australia at home. WI suffered a historic defeat in the 3rd Test against Australia at Sabina Park. Chasing 204, WI were getting bowled out for 27, the second-lowest Test score. WI, who were once the sport's powerhouse, have been in a downward spiral. The departure of star players have also perturbed them.
Board criticism
Lara questions WICB's commitment to players
Lara questioned the West Indies cricket board's commitment to its players, saying they haven't done "anything meaningful" to keep them loyal. He compared their approach with that of boards from England, Australia, and India. The batting legend also defended players like Pooran who are looking for better opportunities in T20 leagues around the world. "You have a lot of guys who are deciding on what to do with their careers," Lara said on 'Stick to Cricket' podcast.
Player perspective
Players like Pooran are not at fault: Lara
Lara emphasized that players like Pooran are not at fault for their decisions. He said, "You have your aggressive players like Pooran, who retired at 29. And honestly, it's pretty clear why they did." This trend is not limited to West Indies as even international stars such as Kane Williamson and Heinrich Klaasen have opted out of national contracts for T20 leagues.
Call for change
'Incentivize playing for the national team...'
Lara's comments come as a wake-up call for national boards to incentivize playing for the national team. He said, "It's down to the respective national boards to incentivize playing for the national team or the other teams could also face the same decline as West Indies." Notably, star all-rounder Andre Russell is the latest WI player to announce their retirement from international cricket. He will bow out following the impending two T20Is against Australia.