“If you put 100 million, 200 million dollars into the West Indies’s bank account, is it going to change the way we play the game? I’m not sure. We are not harnessing the talent that we have,” said Lara to BBC World Service’s Stumped podcast
Brian Lara
Legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara said he doesn’t think the side’s issues in Test cricket would be resolved by money, adding that it comes down to them not harnessing the currently talented players in the ecosystem.
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“If you put 100 million, 200 million dollars into the West Indies’s bank account, is it going to change the way we play the game? I’m not sure. We are not harnessing the talent that we have,” said Lara to BBC World Service’s Stumped podcast.
West Indies are currently at eighth place in the ICC Test rankings and didn’t enter the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup they co-hosted with USA. It is a far cry from the time they were a dominant force in cricket in the 1970s and 1980s.
Apart from players opting to play more of white-ball leagues, cricket has also been overtaken by other sports like athletics in the Caribbean, thus affecting the talent pool. “Obviously, cricket has been diluted by the number of different sports and different opportunities for kids, but I still believe that corporate West Indies have got to get involved.
“The West Indies Cricket Board hasn’t done the right job in attracting these sponsors to ensure that at least grassroots, but also the academy, all the different things, the facilities, are up to standard. I think these things are very, very important,” added Lara.
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