CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – West Indies batting legend Brian Lara is among several coaches attending the ninth annual Sandals Cricket Academy, which opened at the Beausejour Cricket Ground last weekend.
Lara, who holds the records for the highest Test and first class scores, will conduct batting clinics for some of the island’s most talented under-15 cricketers.
In his address, the former West Indies captain called on regional authorities to invest more in the raw talents of Caribbean people.
He called for greater investment by way of training facilities which catered for every aspect of sports development.
“Training facilities should have numerous amount of practice pitches, out in the middle and in the nets and coaches, even a museum where the youngsters can learn about our past greats,” said the prodigious left-hander, who garnered 11 953 runs in 131 Tests.
Lara pointed out that major Test playing nations like England and Australia had less Test venues than the Caribbean, but boasted several high performance centers, none of which were available in the Caribbean.
The line up for this year’s academy also includes former West Indies fast bowler Ezra Mozley and English cricketer David Banks who will become the first English player to attend the Academy.
The initiative, which is a joint venture between Sandals and the Ministry of Youth and Sports will also focus on various life skills, interviewing with the press, healthy lifestyles, and leadership.
