Legendary cricketer Sir Vivian Richards is disappointed and saddened by the West Indies’ failure to qualify for the Champions Trophy. He urges the team to learn from Afghanistan’s progress in cricket.
Richards noted that both West Indies and Sri Lanka, former champions, will miss the tournament in Pakistan and Dubai. He admires Afghanistan’s passion and growth in cricket, suggesting West Indies should emulate their fighting spirit and learning ability.
“Seeing Afghanistan in the Champions League while West Indies are absent indicates Afghanistan is on the right track,” Richards stated, highlighting Afghanistan’s transformation from underdogs to a competitive team in Asia.
He emphasizes that improvement requires collective effort from players and cricket board officials. West Indies also missed the 2023 ODI World Cup, pointing to deeper issues.
Richards feels “annoyed” and “hurt” by West Indies’ absence from the Champions Trophy, believing they are capable of better performance. He calls for administrators to identify and address the reasons behind the team’s decline.
Regarding the Champions Trophy scheduling, Richards touched upon the controversy of India playing all their matches in Dubai. He mentioned that Australia and South Africa were uncertain about their semifinal locations (Dubai or Lahore) due to the India-New Zealand match outcome.
He acknowledged that former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have also pointed out the advantage India gets by playing in familiar venues.
Richards urges the ICC to explain the scheduling decisions, questioning why such a situation is allowed under their governance. He believes sports, especially cricket, should unite people and expects fair play from the sport’s governing body.
