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West Indian batting legend Brian Lara reckons pouring money into the Windies' cricket ecosystem is not necessarily going to improve their game. The former skipper's comments came in the wake of the team's disappointing performance against England in the ongoing opening Test.
West Indies are on the brink of a deflating loss at Lord's. The hosts bowled them out for 121 on Day 1 before amassing 371 to take a significant first-innings lead. At the end of the second day, the West Indies are reeling at 79-6, needing 171 more to make England bat again.
Speaking on BBC's World Service's Stumped podcast, Lara blamed the West Indies cricket board for not doing enough to build their system well. The 55-year-old claimed:
"If you put 100 million, 200 million dollars into the West Indies' bank account, is it going to change the way we play the game? I'm not sure. We are not harnessing the talent that we have. The West Indies Cricket Board hasn't done the right job in attracting these sponsors to ensure that at least grassroots, but also the academy, all the different things, the facilities, are up to standard. I think these things are very, very important."
West Indies came into the series with some promise, especially on the bowling front after Shamar Joseph bowled them to a win over Australia in Brisbane in January.
However, they weren't as effective at Lord's as Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Jamie Smith struck half-centuries to take England to a healthy total.
Brian Lara laments the lack of interest in Test cricket among West Indies fans
Lara recalled how crowds were in abundance outside the Queen Park's Oval at Trinidad when he was a kid, unlike today. The 131-Test veteran elaborated:
"We don't have anybody coming through the gate. I walked in Lord's about 7.30am on Wednesday and outside there were people waiting. That was something I was accustomed to as a kid, getting to the Queens Park [in Trinidad and Tobago] at 05.30 and waiting for the gate to be open. That's not happening. You get there at 11 o'clock and there is an empty stadium."
The Windies last won a series in England in 1988.
