West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara has criticized the Windies Cricket Board and team management, saying they haven’t done enough to keep players committed to West Indies cricket. He pointed out Nicholas Pooran as an example – Pooran stepped away from international cricket at just 29 years old to focus on being a T20 freelancer.
Brian Lara Criticizes West Indies Cricket Leadership
Unlike the cricket boards in countries like England, Australia, and India, Lara feels the West Indies Cricket Board hasn’t done enough to give players a reason to stay. He believes this lack of support and incentives is why players are choosing other opportunities over representing the West Indies. Speaking on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast, Brian Lara said:
“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,”
“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.
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 added.
Nicholas Pooran’s Career by the Numbers
Nicholas Pooran’s decision to step away from West Indies cricket came as a major setback, especially with just eight months to go before the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
Pooran made his international debut in 2016 and has since played 106 T20Is and 61 ODIs, scoring a total of over 4,250 runs across both formats.
In T20 internationals, he scored 2,275 runs at an average of 26.14 with a strike rate of 136.39. In the 50-over format, he racked up 1,983 runs at an impressive average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 99.15, including three centuries and eleven fifties.
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