‘I’m heading to the IPL’: Brian Lara blames franchise cricket for decline of Test cricket in West Indies

Brian Lara has blamed the T20 franchise leagues for decline of West Indies in the Test cricket and wants the cricket board to teach the youngsters about the importance of representing their part of the world on the global stage.

“I mean, we’ve got to face the facts. The franchise cricket that is being played around the world, it is very difficult for the West Cricket Board to compete with such lucrative opportunities that our cricketers have,” Lara told SEN Sportsday.

“I think we’ve got to, first of all, try to hold on to the young ones, the teenagers.

“We need to get them to understand what West Indies cricket means and how we can protect it.

“That’s what Australia has done. Australia don’t just pay their cricketers more or England pays their cricketers more … they develop that sort of loyalty to the sport in their country and that’s what we have not done.

“For an 18-or-19-year-old to say, ‘I’m heading to the IPL’, or, ‘I don’t care about West Indies cricket’.

“It’s not just his fault. I just think that we have not sold what West Indies cricket means to us as Caribbean people and why you should be playing for the West Indies.

“That’s the first thing we need to do.”

Lara said it will be impossible for the cricket board to hold on to the current crops but he has a suggestion to revitalised the cricket in West Indies.

“It’s impossible to do it with a present crop,” Lara said.

“I think we’ve got to go and get that into the schools and into the age group cricket before we bring them out on the international stage.

“40 or 50 years ago, you may have been driven or motivated by playing for your country.

“But the sport today is about playing and making a living, so we have to make sure that that is part of the whole deal that we are selling.”

The first Test between Australia and the West Indies begins on Wednesday in Adelaide and Lara wants his team to put on a fight and at least take the match to Day 5.

“No (I’m not sure what they will offer), but I know what I want, I want to see some fight,” Lara said.

“I want to see the talent come to. There’s a lot of talent. There’s always been a lot of talent, but this is a big stage.

“This is not Mickey Mouse, this is the real deal and Australia are not going to give any quotas.

“They (Australia) have already won three Test matches for the summer and they’ll be looking to make it five in total.

“So, I would like to see some fight and I remember being very proud of the team in Perth 13 months ago when we lost on the fifth day of the Test match.

“I felt that was a good performance against such a strong Australian team.”

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