Brian Lara lashes out at Cricket West Indies for Nicholas Pooran's early retirement, feels they haven't done 'anything meaningful' to promote loyalty

Legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara has criticised Cricket West Indies (CWI) for the early retirement of Nicholas Pooran from all forms of international cricket. Pooran who has years of cricket left in him, made the decision to retire from international cricket to play franchise cricket across the globe.

Notably, West Indies have recently secured an unwanted record of scoring the second- lowest runs in a Test innings as they were bowled out for 27 by Australia at Sabina Park, Kingston.

Lara mentioned how the growth of T20 cricket has allowed players to financially secure themselves despite not playing international cricket.

"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," Lara said on 'Stick to Cricket' podcast.

ALSO READ: Karnataka government blames RCB for June 4 stampede that claimed 11 lives, mentions Virat Kohli's dressing room video about celebrations

He also slammed CWI for not doing anything to keep their players loyal to national duties and not get lured by franchises of mushrooming T20 leagues.

"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.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Shimron Hetmyer smashes 5 sixes in an over to lead Imran Tahir's Warriors to GSL 2025 final, sends warning to Australia days ahead of T20I series opener

Players other than Pooran to shift focus to franchise cricket

Not just Pooran, other prominent cricketers from different nations have either retired from international cricket or have opted out from a central contract for the same reason.

Players like Trent Boult, Kane Williamson from New Zealand, have opted out from the central contract. In addition, South Africa's wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen shocked cricket fraternity by stepping away from international cricket.

This trend is visible in recent times as players prioritise franchise cricket over international cricket to get high-paying contracts in different leagues. Cricket pundits see it as just the start of exodus from international cricket, intensifying the club versus country debate making it tough for cricket boards to retain talent.