Richardson KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CANA
PRESIDENT of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control, Lennox John is against the decision to appoint Richie Richardson as captain of the West Indies B team in the 2001 Busta Cup championship starting next month.
Richardson, 38, a former Leeward Islands and West Indies captain, retired from international cricket after the 1996 World Cup tournament, and has agreed to captain the Windies B team.
He last played regional cricket in 1998 when he represented the Windward Islands.
Richardson was given the job ahead of another experienced Leeward Islands player Keith Arthurton.
John believes a member of the team or another young player should have been given the opportunity to show his ability as a captain.
"I am very mindful of Richardson's credentials and his experience which would make him a worthy candidate to lead any team, but they should have given the chance to someone younger to show his mettle as a leader with some guidance from Richardson," John said.
Reports say two other original contenders for the captaincy - Barbadian Roland Holder and Trinidadian Phil Simmons - opted to represent their territories.
Simmons will be player/coach of Trinidad and Tobago.
The West Indies B team, comprising under-23 players, who were omitted from their respective teams, open against England A in the expanded Busta Cup tournament starting on January 5.
Former West Indies Under-19 manager Alfred Bynoe of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the team's manager with current West Indies youth coach Gus Logie in charge of preparing the squad.
John, who is also a member of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) believes it would have been a better decision to appoint the flamboyant, Leeward Islander as player/coach of the young team.
Squad: Richie Richardson (Antigua), Andrew Gonsalves (Guyana), David Bernard Jnr. (Jamaica), Kurt Wilkinson (Barbados), Tonito Willett (Nevis), Zaheer Ali (T&T), Camilus Alexander (Grenada), Wayne Phillip (Dominica), Sulieman Benn (Barbados), Rodney Sooklal (T&T), Reon Griffith (Guyana), Jermaine Lawson (Jamaica), Kenroy Peters (St Vincent and the Grenadines).
