Why Lara Asked CWI To Rope In Gayle, Pollard And Bravo To End Crisis In Windies Cricket?

West Indies are in a deep-rooted crisis in terms of the cricketing talent drain. It has been on for quite some time now, but in the home Tests against Australia, the stretch of it just deepened too low. 

From being all-out for all-out for their lowest ever total- 27-to being whitewashed in the three-match Test series and five-match T20I series, it was a total blunder for the West Indian team at home. 

To come up with solutions to stop the cricketing talent drain and decline, stalwarts of yesteryears were called upon by Cricket West Indies (CWI). Brian Lara was one of them, and he came up with a unique solution involving the recent batch of retired cricketers. 

“We must recognise that the challenges confronting West Indies cricket extend far beyond inconsistent performances on the field. They are deeply rooted in cultural, psychological, and structural shifts that have evolved over the past two decades,” Lara was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. 

“I believe former players such as Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard possess a unique and timely perspective that can prove invaluable. These men have not only played at the highest level, but have done so in an era that reflects the modern athlete’s psyche, ambitions, and motivations,” he added. 

Reasoning why he chose three of the West Indies’ best since 2010, Lara said, “Their proximity to today’s players — in terms of generational alignment and shared dressing rooms — gives them an authentic understanding of what drives, distracts, or disillusions the modern West Indian cricketer.”

While Gayle and Bravo, who last played for the West Indies in the 2021 T20 World Cup, shared the dressing room with Lara, Pollard has been part of the West Indies set-up since 2008, right after Lara’s departure. Pollard last played for the Men in Maroon in 2022.