Strategic advisor to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Brian Lara has vented his ire at youngsters for not playing enough Test match cricket. While speaking to ‘Sportstar’ the ‘Prince of Trinidad’ said ‘something needs to be done’ citing youngsters who are preferring to play franchise cricket over their respective countries.
“Playing for the country should come first. Because I played for the West Indies, other opportunities opened up for me. It’s disappointing to see young cricketers leaving Test cricket. The ICC should come up with a rule stating a cricketer must play a certain number of games for his country before he can play in the Twenty20 leagues. Something needs to be done,” said Lara.
He also remembered Shane Warne on this occasion. The Aussie passed away on March 5 in Thailand. Remembering him, he highlighted the multiple roles Warne played and said that he had a positive influence everywhere he went. “We’ve been involved in some fascinating duels. But after the day’s play, he would leave everything behind and have a drink with you. As a commentator, he articulated the right issues. His influence was positive wherever he went.”
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have appointed a good backroom staff in a bid to win the IPL trophy. It had the likes of Lara himself and Dale Steyn, Muttiah Muralitharan etc. While Lara, one of the greatest batters to have played cricket, has joined as the batting coach and strategic advisor, Steyn, one of the finest fast bowlers in history, will be their fast bowling coach.
