“I would have certain sympathies for him”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Legendary West Indies batsman Sir Viv Richards has expressed his sympathy towards head coach Phil Simmons after he was suspended by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Simmons was suspended last month after saying that outside influence has stopped the West Indies from fielding their strongest ODI squad for the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.

Simmons revealed that he and chief selector Clive Lloyd had wanted to include all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard in the squad, but they were outvoted in a selection meeting.

“I always have a sympathy for any individual who is up against an establishment who have been a little iffy at times,” Richards said. “I would have certain sympathies for him.”

During Richards’ tenure as captain, the West Indies never lost a Test series, but the 63-year-old revealed that his side endured the same kind of problems the current team is experiencing at the moment.

“When you have a board that have had various issues off the field – it is pretty hard to deal with,” he said. “I would have had the same sort of problems. It’s just some rotten administration.

“The team that we had then, being a good team on the field and so talented, even though we had those issues off the field, winning I think helped to eradicate all that stuff. That’s not happening today.

“People are frustrated. They are the people who remember the wonderful times and they want to rekindle that sort of spirit.

“Seeing some of the things that have played out is frustrating and I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. But I still believe we can be a united force in order for us to compete, as long as the folks who administer can be united.

“That would send such a huge message which I think would filter, hopefully, to the right places. It is going to take a lot of hard work. There are a lot of decisions that need to be taken, positive decisions.”