Former West Indian batting legend Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment regarding Nicholas Pooran’s absence from the West Indies Test side for the upcoming tour of England. Lara believes that both Pooran and Shai Hope should have been included in the squad.

In an interview with The Guardian, Brian Lara expressed a desire to see Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope return to the West Indies Test team. Lara expressed his uncertainty regarding whether Pooran got in touch for selection. Despite his concern, the left-hander remains optimistic about the team's success on the England tour.

"Everyone would love to see Nicholas Pooran in a Test match. I don’t know if he was asked, I don’t know the situation. I’d love to see a Shai Hope back in the West Indies team. But we’ve got to play with what we have," Lara stated. "And what we have is a group of young players that want to play for West Indies, that want to play Test cricket. Hopefully, their style will come out and they can be successful," he added.

Despite the absence of key players, Lara remains optimistic about the potential of the young talent within the team. He praised the current squad's dedication and expressed his pride in their recent performances against Australia.

“This West Indies team can stand tall today, West Indies cricket can stand tall today. When you’re in Australia, you understand there’s going to be that slight arrogance. The final day, they felt it was going to be an easy task. I was just very proud of these young cricketers. Twenty-seven years it took us to win a Test match in Australia. I couldn’t be a happier West Indian.”

The West Indies have struggled in England in red-ball cricket, with their last series victory on English soil dating back to 1988.