Brian Lara analyses West Indies squad ahead of England series, identifies major flaw

England have changed the course of Test cricket. In the last couple of years, they played an aggressive brand of cricket in the longest format of the game and dominated most of their opponents. By doing so, they struggled at times but remained one of the most threatening teams in the history of Test cricket.

Ahead of the West Indies series against England, legendary cricketer Brian Lara noted that the players from the Caribbean are not aggressive in Test cricket, which can trouble the team. He added that playing aggressively is not their style which can be a bit negative. Lara analysed further and stated that England can score five or six runs in an over but West Indies can manage 2.5 runs or three runs, which can shape the fate of the game.

“I don’t think first of all, as a batting team, that (aggression) is our style, which actually is a little bit of a negative. If you’re going to come up against a side that’s scoring at five and six runs an over and you’re just going to score at 2.5, three runs an over, that in itself is asking for trouble,” said Lara in an interview on Sky Sports.

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The 55-year-old lauded England for their aggressive batting and added that the West Indies bowlers need to pick early wickets to put the Ben Stokes-led side on the back foot. He added that taking a healthy first-innings lead can only help West Indies win the game and take a lead in the series.

“England is playing a style of cricket that is difficult to beat them, coming from behind. We’ve got to get them out cheaply in the first innings to stay in front of the game. If you get behind England – with the pace they play the game at – it’s impossible to get back into the game,” Lara added.

West Indies tour of England will begin on July 10 at Lord’s which will also be legendary pacer James Anderson’s final international match.