Former West Indies captain Sir Viv Richards has slammed West Indies Cricket Board administrators for their failure to ensure the best players in the region remain available for international duty.
He noted that several big name players, including Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons, Carlos Brathwaite, Kieron Pollard, Daren Sammy and Darren Bravo are currently in India to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) even as a three-match One-Day International series against Pakistan gets under on Friday April 7, 2017.
Over the last few years, several high-profile players in the Caribbean declined central contracts from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), leaving them under no obligation for national duty.
The WICB has asked the regional players to play in the Regional Super50 in order to qualify for selection for the One-Day International squad which annoyed the players.
Sir Viv insisted that the situation has come to pass only because members of the WICB have done a “lousy job” in creating an environment where players feel treasured by the national setup.
He told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai last week that many of the players come from humble backgrounds and some of these administrators think they are as important as the players on the field, they are not.”
“We lost a series in the UAE in 2016 against Pakistan, now we have lost the Twenty20 series in the Caribbean against Pakistan — all of this after winning the last World Twenty20,” he said.
Sir Viv said having failed for the Champions Trophy in June, West Indies are currently lying ninth in the One-Day International rankings and face the prospect of missing out on direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup.
In Test cricket, West Indies are in eight position in the rankings, only above Bangladesh, which is closing fast on their heels.