Brian Lara Indirectly Blames IPL for West Indies’ 27 Runs All-Out vs Australia in 3rd Test

Brian Lara blames IPL for West Indies’ 27-run all-out vs Australia

Recently, West Indies cricket hit a new low as they were bowled out for the second-lowest score in Test cricket history, 27 runs during the second innings of the third and final Test match of the three-match series vs Australia.

Cricket West Indies, the governing body of cricket in the Caribbean islands, has been heavily criticised for not being able to build a proper team and not prioritizing investment in youth development.

However, former West Indies cricketer and legendary batsman Brian Lara has completely swung the blame onto the Indian Premier League (IPL), a T20 cricket league played in India.

The Indian Premier League has become the world's top T20 cricket league. Players from top cricket-playing nations play in this league, including West Indies players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Nicholas Pooran, among many. Even former top Caribbean players like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Kieron Pollard have played in this league.

Brian Lara recently spoke on the ‘Stick to Cricket' podcast, mentioning how West Indies cricket is suffering.

Brian Lara mentioned that nowadays the West Indies cricketers see the West Indies team as an opportunity to earn contracts in various T20 leagues around the world, “We are now using the West Indies team as a stepping stone, as a stage for us to get, you know, contracts around. And that is not a fault of the player,” Lara said.

He also added how the players of his time had worked hard to get into the national team, “We played first-class cricket and some of us even played county cricket to try to get into the West Indies team.”

David Lloyd, a former England cricketer present on the podcast, pointed a finger at the big three teams. Lloyd blamed England, Australia, and India for taking a big chunk of money in cricket, which should have been evenly distributed to teams like New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies to maintain the competition balance.

West Indies call upon legends to solve the crisis

After the crushing 176-run defeat vs Australia in the 3rd Test, including getting all out for 27 runs, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has called upon its legends to get the team out of the crisis.

The 3 match Test series between West Indies and Australia was a disappointing one for the hosts. They lost the series 3-0, but most importantly, despite their bowlers doing well, the batters have failed in all three matches. The Caribbean side lost all their matches by more than 120 runs.

Australia won the first Test in Barbados by 159 runs and the 2nd Test in Grenada by 133 runs. And then they finally wrapped things up with a 176-run victory in the 3rd Test match played in Jamaica.

The Cricket West Indies president, Dr Kishore Shallow, has reached out to the legendary trio of Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards, and Brian Lara.

The trio will join a committee that already includes some past great players of the West Indies cricket team, like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ian Bradshaw, and Desmond Haynes.

“I have extended invitations to three of our greatest batsmen ever: Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards, and Brian Lara,” Dr Kishore Shallow stated in a statement.

The committee will be working together to work out the best way to go forward for West Indies cricket. Investment in youth development has to be crucial, and working on the domestic structure will be key. Big, successful teams like India, England, and Australia are the most successful teams in the game because they have a solid domestic structure and invest huge amounts in youth development.

The Cricket West Indies president also acknowledged that the series result will haunt the fans, but asked them to have some patience as they continue to work on the rebuild of the team. He added that they are investing in the next generation of players.

Pacers shine but batters disappoint in 3-0 series defeat vs Australia

This was a series that will continue to haunt the West Indies cricket team players for a long time. Not only was it a straightforward 3-0 clean sweep, but in all the matches, the West Indies cricket team suffered a significant defeat by more than 120 runs. Throughout the series, the pace bowlers did really well for the hosts, only to be left disappointed by the batters.

Australia won by 159 runs

Barbados' Kensington Oval hosted the series' opening Test match. West Indies got Australia all out for 180 runs with Jayden Seales taking 5 wickets while Shamar Joseph picked 4 wickets.

West Indies took a 10-run lead in the first inning after the batters had a disappointing performance. Lower down the order, Shai Hope and Roston Chase scored 48 and 44 runs respectively after the top-order batters failed.

Shamar Joseph was brilliant with the ball in the 2nd inning, taking 5 wickets. But Australia still scored 310 runs. Australia defeated the West Indies by 159 runs after they were all out for 141 runs while chasing a target of 301 runs. Bowlers Justin Greaves and Shamar Joseph were the top batters in the 2nd inning for West Indies with 38 and 44 runs respectively, as the batters disappointed again.

The first Test match was a controversial one, though. Former cricketers, experts, fans, and even the head coach of the West Indies cricket team criticised 3rd umpire Adrian Holdstock’s decision-making that favoured the Australian team in all decisions.

Australia won by 133 runs

Putting aside the issues surrounding the first Test, the second Test between Australia and the West Indies was held in Grenada. Australia won this match by 133 runs. Once again the similar pattern repeated as in the first Test, bowlers shining but darkness among the batters.

Australia scored 286 runs while batting first. With four wickets, Alzarri Joseph led the West Indies in wicket-taking, followed by Jayden Seales with two.

West Indies in reply scored 243 runs. Experienced batter Brandon King was the top run scorer in this inning with 75 runs off 108 balls, while John Campbell scored 40 runs. Other than that, most of the batters failed while the all-rounders got a good start but couldn't convert it to a big score.

With Shamar Joseph leading the West Indies with four wickets and Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, and Justin Greaves each taking two, Australia amassed 243 runs in the second inning.

West Indies were knocked out for only 143 runs while chasing a target of 277. Once again, the batsmen were not at their best, with Roston Chase and Shamar Joseph scoring 34 and 24 runs for the West Indies, respectively, as Australia won by 133 runs to clinch the series with one match to play.

Australia won by 176 runs

The dead rubber of the series, the 3rd Test, a day-night Test match with the pink ball, was played at the Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Australia asserted their dominance in this match as well, notably getting the hosts all out for 27 runs.

Australia scored 225 runs in the first inning with Shamar Joseph taking 4 wickets while Jayden Seales and Justin Greaves took 3 wickets each. West Indies in reply scored only 143 runs, with John Campbell the top scorer with 36 runs, while Shai Hope scored 23 runs, while other batters failed.

The Caribbean bowlers displayed great bowling performance once again in the 2nd inning as they got the Aussies all out for just 121 runs in the 2nd inning. Shamar Joseph grabbed four wickets, and Alzarri Joseph took five.

West Indies had to chase 204 runs to save their face and win the day-night Test match. But the West Indies pulled off one of the biggest debacles as they were bowled out for just 27 runs in 14.3 overs. There were seven ducks out of which 4 were golden ducks. The only batter to touch the double digit was Justin Greaves, who scored 11 runs while the other 10 players got out in single digits or zero.

Australia completed a 3-0 clean sweep by winning the game by 176 runs. Since then, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the players have faced severe criticism. After the conclusion of the Test series, the two teams will now play a 5 match T20I series between 21-29 July.

What's next for West Indies

After the 3-0 Test series defeat vs Australia, it just doesn't end here, only for the Caribbean side. They have loads of matches to play in the coming months before they close out the year 2025.

From now until the end of the year, the West Indies cricket team will play four series, three of which will be against top teams like Pakistan, New Zealand, and India. They will also take on Nepal before the end of the year. Let's take a look at what the upcoming series for the West Indies is.

Pakistan tour of West Indies 

After the end of the Australia series, West Indies' next challenge will be Pakistan in August. The two teams will play 3 T20Is and as many ODI matches as part of the series.

The 3 T20I matches will be played on 31st July, 2nd, and 3rd August. All the matches will be played in Florida. In the meantime, the Brian Lara Cricket Academy ground in Trinidad will host the ODI leg on August 8, 10, and 12.

West Indies vs Nepal in UAE

After the Pakistan series, West Indies will then travel to the Middle East to play a three-match T20I series vs Nepal. The three T20Is will be played on 27, 28, and 30 September at the Sharjah Cricket Ground inthe  United Arab Emirates (UAE).

West Indies tour of India

Following the 3 T20I matches vs Nepal at the end of September, West Indies will then travel to India to play 2 Test matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027. The 2 Test matches will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, and Eden Gardens, Kolkata, starting from 2nd October and 10 October respectively.

West Indies tour of New Zealand

West Indies will end the year with a multi-format series against New Zealand in New Zealand. The series will consist of five T20Is, three ODIs, and three Test matches. The T20I series will be played between 5-13 November, while the ODI format will be played between 16-22 November.

Meanwhile, the Test matches will be played starting from 2nd December, 10 December, and 18 December respectively.