Sir Vivian Richards: Toss has always been an attraction

WI cricket great Sir Vivian Richards during an event at a city hotel yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

When one meets a past master blaster like Sir Vivian Richards at a time when Twenty20 is like the fruit of the season, you can't help imagining how good he would have been in the shortest format of the game.

He is not coy to say that he is a big supporter of T20 cricket. In fact, he feels the format has given cricket a mighty fillip, a view his former West Indies teammate Michael Holding and his erstwhile opponent Bishan Singh Bedi won't agree with.

Richards, 66, is in India to promote the American University of Antigua, which boasts of fine facilities and promises a safe and loving experience for Indian students wishing to study there.

Excerpts from an interview:

Unlike some of your peers, you enjoy T20 cricket...
I have always been a fan of T20 cricket. There are some, like Michael Holding, who are not fans, but I am happy with anything that helps give cricket a new lease of life such as the Indian Premier League and other T20 tournaments. We move on in life. If we were stagnant, I don't think we would've accomplished anything. This new format has given the game the excitement which it was missing. For the spectators, this is what it's all about. Cricket must thank this new format for giving it a lease of life. There is a new sort of clientele that comes to the ground and that's got to be good.

Is there too much tinkering going on in the game?
What I would love the ICC to tinker with is the topic around the DRS system. India got away doing their thing. Why do we have one set of rules for India? If we have come under the ICC umbrella, everyone should be playing [with the same set of rules]. I guess everyone does the same when it comes to FIFA rules. Why was it different with the ICC then? In the ICC, there are some very weak guys who dropped the ball then.

The ICC is thinking of doing away with the toss...
The toss has always been an attractive part of the game. Two guys walking with blazers... it's legendary stuff. Everyone waits to see who wins the toss because sometimes it has a huge part to play. So, it is difficult [to imagine a no-toss scenario]. I just hope they do not tinker too much and not make too many changes. We should just take our steps one by one. There's no harm in trying though, but let's keep what we have at present simple.

What changes would you like to see in the game?
One of the things I would love to see is doing away with shorter boundaries. We should have at least a minimum standard boundary, let's say about 80 yards. The bowlers suffer a lot today. The guys [batsmen] are powerful and they spend a lot of time at the gym; they smack the ball miles. If a guy can get a shot in a particular zone - if he hits it further than anyone else, then why not give an extra two runs as bonus for doing that? These are little things to tinker with.

The West Indies players have played a major role in T20 leagues, but does it pain you to see West Indies cricket in a big mess?
It takes two to tango. The players should not be blamed alone. We didn't take care of our best players, who would have made a difference. I also believe that the administration made a mistake because those were the same guys who played in the (World Cup) qualifying rounds in Zimbabwe, which means, somebody dropped the ball further up and that's why we are in such a huge problem. The guys weren't respected enough and when you are not respected and when you have something as attractive as the IPL and other T20 tournaments in the world, the guys are going to be attracted to that.

How do you view the revival of MS Dhoni?
What I love about him is when he is about to retire, he has generated energy into the one-day stuff. He is cool and has a calm demeanor. He looks a good poker player and I would back him to be in Las Vegas at some point with my cards. He is a cool character. His achievements speak for himself and he is still going to achieve a lot of things in the future.

What is your view on having neutral curators for all international matches?
The ICC should have a panel of expert curators who will prepare the pitches across the world for international games and they should be solely responsible for these tournaments. That is one way to eliminate the possibility of pitches being doctored.

In the aftermath of the David Warner-Quinton de Kock ugly spat in South Africa, would you recommend a ban on sledging?
Guys can say things, but when you start to question the guy's parenthood, say naughty things or talk about one's race, it should not be tolerated. It is nice sometimes when you get into the guy's eye and tell him what you think about how he played that last delivery or things like that, but when you get a guy questioning a player's colour, it's rubbish.

Also Read: Sir Vivian Richards 'words of gold' boosts Virat Kohli & Co

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