Viv Richards backs Phil Simmons for standing against ‘rotten’ West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)

The WICB had decided to omit Simmons from the ongoing Sri Lankan tour after the coach went on to publically criticise the board.

London: Legendary cricketer Vivian Richards has backed suspended coach Phil Simmons for standing up against the ‘rotten’ West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) administration. The WICB had decided to omit Simmons from the ongoing Sri Lankan tour after the coach went on to publically criticise the board over team selection last month. Simmons had alleged that he was denied selecting all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka despite receiving support from chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd. Reflecting on the issue, Richards said that he was sympathetic towards Simmons and attributed the incident to the failure of ‘ rotten’ administration, the Guardian reported. POLL: Should WICB reinstate Phil Simmons as West Indies head coach?

The 63-year-old former captain opined that his team too had faced similar sort of off-field problems but insisted that winning games helped eradicate such matters, which is not happening with the current squad. Since Simmons’ appointment as head coach, West Indies had secured a 1-1 draw against England in the three-match Test series earlier this year. However, they have failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy for the first time. ALSO READ: West Indies cricket suffering from lack of management, says T&T PM Keith Rowley

According to AFP, a few days ago, West Indies legend Garfield Sobers Wednesday accused cash-rich Twenty20 tournaments of destroying Test cricket by luring players away from the longest form of the sport with large amounts of cash. The 79-year-old, regarded by many as cricket’s greatest all-rounder, told reporters in Colombo that the huge amount of money offered to players by T20 tournaments, especially the Indian Premier League (IPL), had taken a toll on his beloved game. “I think Twenty20 has taken a toll,” he said while on a visit to Sri Lanka as chief guest at the second Test between hosts Sri Lanka and West Indies.