(Sportsmax) – West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards believes the attitude of the players and results in the ongoing series against Pakistan could be a sign that relations between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and players could be at boiling point.The regional team lost its eighth straight match against Pakistan in the ongoing series by 133 runs, which condemned it to a third series loss across three formats on the ill-fated tour so far.
The Windies, the reigning Twenty20 World Champions, were whitewashed 3-0 in the Twenty20 and suffered a similar drubbing in the One-Day International series.
Ahead of the series the WICB removed Phil Simmons as coach of unit and Darren Sammy as Twenty20 captain and a member of the squad. While the board has dismissed suggestions that the decisions continue to affect the team, Richards is of a different view.
“Everyone seems to be of the belief that the administration in some way has become totally dictatorial, and is not a process that I believe some of the individuals feel totally comfortable playing under,” Sir Viv told Antigua Observer’s Radio Sports.
“I don’t know whether this can go on for much longer, but it was just sad, to a degree, to see some of the guys who were not quite in it,” he added.
“I felt like what took place in the T20 [series] and the ODIs is that the guys were not here, meaning they were here [physically] but still not here [mentally],” he continued.
“There is a whole lot still going on in terms of administration, and it’s getting a little much in my view.”