Board-players friction affecting Caribbean cricket: Richards
June 16th, 2011 - 5:56 pm ICT by IANSAntigua, June 16 (IANS) West Indies cricket great Sir Vivian Richards feels the constant differences between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players’ Association is affecting the sport in the Caribbean islands.
Richards believes players are using their off-field issues as an excuse for their on-field performance.
“The players who are involved, such as the administrators and West Indies Players Association (WIPA), must come to a common consensus if they intend to have something solid in the future to represent, because at present things are going downhill,” Richards was quoted as saying in the Jamaica Gleaner.
“With all the squabbling and the personalities, at the end of the day they are the ones who will be responsible for the direction cricket takes,” he said.
“There are issues to be dealt with on both sides of the coin. When you have two parties involved, like WIPA and the WICB, there are definitely some issues and some personalities involved. They have to put away all the personal stuff and realise that there is one common cause.”
Richards, however, believes the importance of the sport to the region cannot be overlooked and, therefore, it should be protected.
“This is the only sport that we really participate together as a unit, and we bring all the different fragrances from all the countries that are represented, so it must be protected and enhanced,” he stated.
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Tags: caribbean cricket, caribbean islands, consensus, excuse, field performance, fragrances, friction, jamaica gleaner, personal stuff, personalities, sir vivian richards, squabbling, west indies cricket, west indies cricket board, wicb, wipa