"I don’t know if he was asked" - Brian Lara laments Nicholas Pooran's absence in West Indies' Test side

Former West Indian batting legend Brian Lara reckons Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope should've been recalled to the Test side, doubting whether the former was even asked. However, the Trinidadian recognizes the passion within the available players and has backed them to perform well in the upcoming tour of England.

West Indies have showed plenty of promise of late as far as Test cricket is concerned. They achieved their first Test win in Australia in 27 years earlier in 2024 when Shamar Joseph bowled an outstanding spell (7-68) to prevent the Baggy Greens from chasing down 216 by eight runs as Steven Smith's 91* went in vain.

Speaking to The Guardian, Lara stated:

"Everyone would love to see Nicholas Pooran in a Test match. I don’t know if he was asked, I don’t know the situation. I’d love to see a Shai Hope back in the West Indies team. But we’ve got to play with what we have.

"And what we have is a group of young players that want to play for West Indies, that want to play Test cricket. Hopefully, their style will come out and they can be successful."

The Caribbeans don't have an impressive record in England and last won a series on English soil in 1988. They won the first Test during the 2020 tour before losing the remaining two.

"I couldn’t be a happier West Indian" - Brian Lara on Test victory against Australia

Lara went on to recall how delighted he was to see the young cricketers conquer Australia at the Gabba to set up a landmark Test win earlier this year. He said (via the aforementioned source):

"This West Indies team can stand tall today, West Indies cricket can stand tall today. When you’re in Australia, you understand there’s going to be that slight arrogance. The final day, they felt it was going to be an easy task. I was just very proud of these young cricketers. Twenty-seven years it took us to win a Test match in Australia. I couldn’t be a happier West Indian."

The first Test between England and West Indies begins on July 10 at Lord's.