As West Indies cricket continues to grapple with declining Test performances and the rising lure of franchise leagues, legendary batter Brian Lara has delivered a strong yet passionate call for introspection. Speaking to the media during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, Lara acknowledged the financial challenges facing the sport in the Caribbean but pushed back against the idea that limited infrastructure and resources should be accepted as excuses for poor commitment or subpar results.

“If you want to get things done, you have to have the capital to do it. So that is a major part,” Lara admitted, referencing the financial hurdles that have dogged the region’s cricket development.At the same time, however, he made it clear that accountability lies with the players themselves. “But at the same time, I would like to ask Roston Chase and the other guys to… do they have the cricket at heart? Do they really want to play for West Indies? And that is the most important thing because you would find a way.”

“I mean we did not have better facilities 30–40 years ago. Viv Richards didn’t bat on any better practice pitches or anything. We had to do the same thing, the same grind; but the passion was different. The passion to play for West Indies was different,” he said. “So I urge the young players to realise that this is a wonderful opportunity. And I am almost sure that every single one of their parents would have had in the back of their mind, their son playing for the West Indies, their son doing well for the West Indies because it meant a lot back in those days,” Lara added. 

While he agreed that finances are a serious concern, Lara stressed that they cannot replace national pride. “So I agree with [Chase on West Indies’ struggles for finances], but I still believe there is an onus on each young player to create that love and desire to play for West Indies.”“I can’t blame any single player for wanting to pursue cricket as a career outside of the West Indies — because the disparity in what’s happening, playing five or six franchise leagues, compared to playing for the West Indies, is different [in monetary terms],” he said. Still, he argued that Cricket West Indies (CWI) must find solutions at home.

“And you have to have empathy with that player. But you also have to feel that what can we do at home to make sure that that player, or future players, understand that playing for the West Indies is also very important.” Pointing to the global calendar and IPL’s dominance, he observed, “The IPL has carved out a period of time where it’s exclusive to the IPL. But there’s six or seven different leagues that’s popping up around the world, and everybody’s wanting to do it.”

 “So I think the onus is on Cricket West Indies to find a way to create, unify the efforts of the young players who want to go out, but also have them playing for us,” Lara said. He was emphatic about the importance of competing in marquee series: “And a series against India, we want to play good cricket against the best team in the world. So you want your best players out there. You don’t want your best players in America or somewhere else around the world.” 

To illustrate that playing abroad and national pride can co-exist, Lara drew parallels with international football. “I mean if you look at Argentina, Messi grew up in Europe, but he plays for Argentina. But he played for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and he was allowed [to play],” he said. “And there’s a lot more South American footballers that do that, and eventually go back and play for their country, and have the pride to do so.

”He pointed out how cricket powerhouses have managed to strike this balance: “Australia is able to do it. England is able to do it, to keep their players loyal to their country. So we have to find a way to do that and there’s no pointing any fingers at anybody.” Instead, Lara called for collaboration. “It’s just that we’ve got to come together as a team, as administrators, as coaches, as players. And really and truly if you have West Indies cricket at heart, you will find a way to move forward.”

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)