Brian Lara slams Cricket West Indies over Nicholas Pooran's early retirement from international cricket

Brian Lara slammed West Indies’ cricket board for not doing anything to keep its players loyal to the national team.

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has slammed the Cricket West Indies (CWI) over the early retirement of a few national players. Lara feels that the CWI is not doing anything to keep its players loyal to the national team.

Last month, Nicholas Pooran announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 29 years. Pooran was the West Indies’ leading run-getter in T20I cricket with 2275 runs, however, he pulled curtains down on his international cricket career and will concentrate on franchise cricket around the globe.

Brian Lara slams Cricket West Indies on Nicholas Pooran’s retirement

While speaking on ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast, Brian Lara noted that many players are making enough money by playing franchise T20 cricket around the world. Hence, many West Indies players are ending their international careers.

“You have a lot of guys who are deciding on what to do with their careers. You have your aggressive players like Pooran, who retired at 29. And honestly, it’s pretty clear why they did. There are five or six leagues around the world, and they’re able to make a substantial amount of money playing in them,” he said.

Brian Lara also feels that the CWI is not taking steps like other cricket boards to keep their players loyal to the national team.

“I have no problem with that. The truth is, I don’t think the West Indies Cricket Board or the administration has done anything meaningful to keep players loyal to West Indies cricket, unlike what boards in countries like England, Australia, or even India have done”, he said.

“So naturally, our players are going to look elsewhere. And when you see players like Kane Williamson or even South Africans making similar choices, you understand that these guys are just trying to provide for their families,” he further added.

Meanwhile, West Indies recently faced a big setback in the third test against Australia. They were bowled out for just 27 runs in the second innings, registering the second-lowest total ever in test cricket. Australia defeated them 3-0 in the three-match test series.

West Indies and Australia will now lock horns in a five-match T20I series, scheduled to commence on July 20 with the first game at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica.

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