Former West Indies’ captain Sir Vivian Richards has called for a revival of West Indian red ball cricket after deeming the current state of the regional game to be very concerning.
Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket in London earlier this week, the 72-year-old Antiguan described the West Indies’ last performances (a 3-0 series defeat against England) in the Test arena as sobering.
“It didn’t look too good, did it? There was quite a gulf in quality,” he remarked. “I’m seriously concerned. The team that toured England at that time, in my opinion, wasn’t getting enough cricket,” he said, lamenting the loss of opportunities to hone skills through county cricket.
“Gone are the days where you’d play a few county matches to get yourself into nick, or back into form if you were out of nick. Those days are gone.”
For Richards, the root of the issue lies in the dominance of franchise cricket, which he believes has disrupted the traditional pathways for development.
“There’s so much franchise cricket now.
I think we need to play more red ball cricket within the region, particularly for players looking to excel in the longer format. They need adequate practice and proper matches to prepare for the bigger picture. The ICC, as the governing body, needs to implement rules to address this,” he argued.
Richards, who scored 8 540 Test runs at an average of 50.23, was equally critical of the impact of T20 cricket on player development.
“Too many players who can hardly spell cricket are playing in T20 leagues,” he said before stressing, “There must be a proper path to reach that level, and players should go through the hard graft of learning the game the right way before the money factor comes into play.”
The “Master Blaster” also shared his thoughts on Barbadian-born fast bowler Jofra Archer’s long-awaited return to action for England. The 29-year-old played in the recently concluded white ball tour of the Caribbean and was a key component of the tourists’ T20I series victory.
“Jofra’s back, finally, after such a long time and so many injuries. It’s great to see him back. I saw him in Antigua, and I imagine it’s going to take some time for him to get to where he’d like to be,” Richards said.
When asked about Archer’s potential to return to Test cricket, Richards was hopeful but cautious.
“I believe he can return to Test cricket, provided he doesn’t have any recurrence of injuries. The will is certainly there,” he noted.
However, he urged England to manage Archer carefully.
“If he does go back to Test cricket, I think England should use him in short spells. When you’re that rapid and sharp, there’s no need to overexpose him. England should apply him at the right moments, and he’ll be of great value to them in the future.”
