Port of Spain, August 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
West Indies batting great Sir Vivian Richards has urged fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and head coach Daren Sammy to resolve their differences and restore mutual respect following their public disagreement over Joseph’s decision to miss the ongoing Test series against Pakistan.
Joseph opted out of the two-match series citing personal reasons, after which Sammy said that the pacer had “declined selection”. Joseph later criticised the remark, describing it as “controversial” and lacking context.
West Indies are currently leading the series 1-0, with the second Test being played at Queen’s Park Oval.
Richards said public comments on such matters can affect a player’s professional career and stressed the need for both sides to rebuild their relationship.
“Such statements, if it’s not true and stuff like that, a lot of things linger. The two had a great relationship when he was with the St Lucia franchise, so I’m not quite so certain why relations have gone a bit south,” Richards told Antigua Observer.
He added that the relationship between Joseph and Sammy was bigger than the issue that had emerged publicly and both should make efforts to move forward.
“The relationship, I know, is much bigger than what we hear on the air, so it would be of importance to try and rekindle that. We sometimes misstep at times and so long as we have a heart, knowing that sometimes the mistakes that we make, we can always put things together and get these guys going again,” he said.
Richards also questioned Sammy’s public comments, saying that if Joseph had followed the proper professional process, the coach’s remarks may not have been necessary.
“I’d like to think that Alzarri would have gone about it in the professional way, and so that at least the statement from coach Sammy wasn’t really necessary in my opinion,” Richards said.
He added that there were two sides to the matter and Joseph should have been given an opportunity to explain his position clearly.
The former West Indies captain said maintaining trust between players and team management was important for the future of Caribbean cricket.
FOLLOW NOW
