Disappointing to see young cricketers choose IPL over Test cricket: Brian Lara

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has expressed disappointment in players choosing to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over playing for their respective countries.

Plenty of regular South Africa players including Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Aiden Markram have opted to skip the Test series against Bangladesh, which will be part of the World Test Championship (WTC) and play in the cash-rich league instead, which has irked Lara.

“Playing for the country should come first. Because I played for the West Indies, other opportunities opened up for me," Lara told Sportstar.

"It’s disappointing to see young cricketers leaving Test cricket. The ICC should come up with a rule stating a cricketer must play a certain number of games for his country before he can play in the Twenty20 leagues. Something needs to be done."

Lara also paid tribute to the late Shane Warne, who passed away earlier this month in Thailand.

“We’ve been involved in some fascinating duels," Lara recalled.

"But after the day’s play, he would leave everything behind and have a drink with you. As a commentator, he articulated the right issues. His influence was positive wherever he went."

Lara has been appointed batting coach and strategic advisor for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for this season.