By Neto Baptiste
Former West Indies captain in both ODI and Test formats, Sir Vivian Richards, believes players should choose which versions of the game they want to play.
Sir Viv, speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show recently, said coaches tend to select players’ specific formats based on their personal assessment, but believes players should be afforded the opportunity to choose the versions of the game with which they are most comfortable.
“Sometimes, you get selectors making that decision for individuals and I guess also – maybe because of their traction of what’s taking place around the world in some of these T20 tournaments – that sometimes guys do gravitate to that particular format, but I believe it is up to the individuals for them to make the necessary adjustment,” he said.
However, Sir Viv, who has the distinction of having never lost a Test series as captain, said many players have successfully managed to do well in all formats.
“We’ve seen it done by the Williamsons of New Zealand, Virat Kholi of India, Joe Root coming out of England. There are a whole lot of guys, just to name a few, where it’s up to that particular individual. Cricket is cricket and it’s just, maybe, adjusting one’s mind to the various formats,” he said.
Sir Viv scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests while he amassed 6,721 runs in 187 ODI matches.