Legendary West Indian batter Brian Lara believes that by simply investing more money in the Windies’ cricket system may not be enough to improve their on-field performance. Lara’s comments came after the team’s underwhelming showing against England in the current opening Test.
The West Indies find themselves on the edge of a demoralizing defeat at Lord’s. After the hosts skittled them out for a meager 121 on Day 1, England piled on 371 runs to establish a commanding first-innings advantage. By the close of play on Day 2, the West Indies had collapsed to 79-6, still needing 171 more runs to avoid the follow-on.
“Blindly pouring millions of dollars into the West Indies’ cricket infrastructure may not significantly change the team’s game. The real issue is that the West Indies Cricket Board has failed to properly develop and harness the talent available,” Lara said on BBC’s World Service’s Stumped podcast.
“They have not done enough to attract sponsors that could fund critical improvements to grassroots programs, training academies, and facilities. Addressing these fundamental shortcomings in the system is absolutely essential,” he added.
Lara also highlighted the lack of interest towards Test cricket in the West Indies.
“I arrived at Lord’s Cricket Ground around 7:30 AM, I saw crowds waiting outside for the gates to open. I had experienced in my youth when I would arrive at 5:30 AM to queue up at the Queens Park grounds in Trinidad and Tobago. However, now there is no one waiting – the gates were empty, and the stadium remained vacant even at 11 o’clock. The lively, bustling atmosphere I had grown accustomed to was nowhere to be found,” he continued.
Despite Shamar Joseph’s match-winning performance against Australia in January, the West Indian bowlers struggled to make an impact at Lord’s. England’s top order, including Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Jamie Smith, all scored half-centuries to post a formidable total.