Beckles used 'wrong word' - ... Sir Viv believes UWI principal's perspective on Gayle's position in WI team is spot on

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

West Indies cricket legend, Sir Vivian Richards, believes University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor Hilary Beckles' statement comparing Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle to west Kingston don, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, is unfortunate.

However, Richards told The Gleaner that he understands the Barbadian academic's frustration with the long-running contractual feud between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and some players, including Gayle.

"The words used were wrong because the word 'don' sends the wrong signal. But I don't think what Beckles is saying is far from the truth," the former West Indies captain said. "Others would have just said it differently."

Beckles is a WICB director and principal at the UWI's Cave Hill campus in Barbados. During a speech in St Kitts this week, he had strong words for Gayle, a former West Indies captain.

Interesting images

"Frank Worrell is the father of the nation, Sobers is the king of cricket, Clive Lloyd is the statesman, Richards is the general of the army, Brian Lara is the prince, and Chris Gayle is the don," Beckles said. "And these are very interesting images indeed because the movement from the father to the don, and those who follow him and his cohort in the team do relate to him as their don."

He continued: "And he has brought, it is said, the donmanship into how 'tings' operate in the team, and what the West Indies Board is trying to do at the moment is to uproot this donmanship out of the culture in much the same way that the Jamaican people are trying to uproot Dudus from their politics."

Coke was extradited to the United States last June to face arms and drug-running charges in that country. Federal authorities claim that he is leader of the notorious Shower Posse, which has been linked to hundreds of murders.

Beckles' remarks have drawn strong criticism in Jamaica and from the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), which has called for Beckles' resignation from the WICB.

Gayle said he decided to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after uncertain signals from the WICB regarding his place in the team and their assistance in paying his medical bills, for an abdominal injury.

The former West Indies captain also said the WICB did not inform him of his omission from the first two one-day internationals (ODI) against Pakistan.

WICB chairman, Ernest Hilaire, has denied the claims.

Jamaican fast bowler Jerome Taylor, Trinidad and Tobago's Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard also opted to play in the IPL.

Bravo played in the recent ODIs against Pakistan, but sidestepped the subsequent Test series to play for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Taylor has turned out for Pune Warriors despite earlier reports he was injured.

Richards says the board and players must share blame for the current stand-off, adding that it has contributed significantly to the West Indies' decade-long slump.

"If you're a board and you are not in control of the players representing you, there's a problem and they have got to find ways to correct this," he said.

"If you have players with bad attitudes you have to make sure there are rules they must abide by."

All-conquering team

An Antiguan, Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests for the West Indies at an average of 51.00. He was a member of the all-conquering team that dominated international cricket throughout the 1980s, losing only one Test series - against New Zealand in 1980.

Richards has witnessed the Caribbean team's dramatic drop down the Test and ODI ladders, as well as unrelenting clashes between the WICB and WIPA. He said it is time for both organisations to settle their differences.

"When you have all these distractions it's difficult for anyone to perform to the best of their ability," Richards reasoned. "If we have players in sporadic roles, as we do now, that's not going to help."

Richards is in Jamaica promoting Johnnie Walker's 'Be A Giant: Don't Drink and Drive' campaign.