Brian Lara, a former West Indies cricket player, has voiced his displeasure with the WICB’s failure to provide incentives for players to continue playing for the country. He compared this to the initiatives of boards in nations like India, Australia, and England, which provide their players with greater financial stability and support.
Nicholas Pooran, who startled the cricket community by declaring his retirement from international cricket at the age of 29, was the recent example that Lara brought up. Nicholas Pooran acknowledged that leaving the international scene was a tough choice. Pooran was known for his explosive performances for the Indian Premier League (IPL)’s Lucknow Super Giants.
“Many of the men are in the process of making professional decisions. Nicholas Pooran, who retired at the age of 29, is one of your aggressive players. In all honesty, it’s quite obvious why they did.
On the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast, Brian Lara stated, “They can earn a significant amount of money playing in the five or six leagues that exist around the world.”
“I don’t mind that at all. The truth is that, in contrast to boards in nations like England, Australia, and even India, I don’t believe the West Indies Cricket Board or the administration have taken any significant steps to retain players’ loyalty to West Indies cricket. Our players will, of course, search elsewhere. And you realise that these people are merely attempting to support their family when you witness athletes like Kane Williamson or even South Africans making comparable decisions,” he continued.
Pooran’s retirement is a major blow to the West Indies, since the 2026 T20 World Cup is due to begin in India and Sri Lanka in more than eight months. Pooran, who scored over 4,258 runs in 106 Twenty20 Internationals and 61 One Day Internationals, was a vital member of the Caribbean team.
He amassed 2,275 runs with a strike rate of 136.39 and an average of 26.14 in T20Is. He amassed 1,983 runs in ODIs, including three hundreds and eleven half-centuries, at a remarkable average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 99.15.
In the most recent Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 season, Pooran captained MI New York and guided the team to their second championship.
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