Legendary West Indies captain Sir Vivian Richards believes the West Indies team will need a major catalyst if it is to be a contender at next year’s Cricket World Cup in Asia.
Though admitting the regional team possessed the talent to win the tournament with such players as Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, the feared batsman of the 1970s and ’80s said the team would need a talisman if it was to spring a surprise.
The West Indies team is ranked eighth in the official ICC One-Day International rankings and is not among the favorites for the Feb. 19 to April 2 showpiece across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“Some prayer would obviously help,” Sir Viv joked in reference to West Indies winning the World Cup.
“On a serious note, they do have the talent but they need to get things organized a bit.
“Maybe they need a catalyst who could inspire them like Arjuna did with the Sri Lanka team during the 1996 World Cup,” he said.
West Indies won the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 and were also losing finalists in a 1983 showpiece when they lost to India.
For this tournament, they will play in Group B alongside Bangladesh, England, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa and India.
