One of the greatest batters of all time, Brain Lara, commented on the influence of India, Australia and England, commonly termed as “Big Three”, in cricket saying the game has to move on from them.
West Indies are poised to take on Australia in a two-match Test series which will begin on January 17 and Lara is part of the commentary and broadcasting team.
South Africa recently named their squad for the Test series against New Zealand with seven uncapped players which sparked controversy as their key players will be participating in the ILT20.
“Sport as a whole is a very short-term thing, cricket you never know when you’re in or you’re out, and we just have to find some sort of middle ground where all cricket prospers – not just English cricket, Australian cricket or Indian cricket,” Lara said.
“You want your best team playing international cricket. South Africa will have their reasons but when I did look at the team there was not one name that I knew. It is a very compact schedule, trying to force all three forms of the game in.”
The former batter then added that Test cricket should not die and to make that happen, everyone in the cricketing world would need to shift their focus to nations like Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand so red-ball cricket can survive.
“As someone who has played Test cricket, the love I have for the game, it is something I don’t want to see die. I’m hoping that we can find a way outside that triangle of nations of India, Australia and England to bring back importance to West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa.”
“Back in those days, the halcyon days of West Indies cricket in the 1970s and ’80s, we were almost in Australia or England every other year, and we were the fancied team to tour around the world,” Lara said. “India is now, for obvious reasons.”
- Brian Lara
