'Legends' knock WICB

Tym Glaser, Associate Sports Editor
ST JOHN'S, Antigua:

THE STANFORD Legends, a collection of a dozen of the West Indies finest players, have identified a common foe and it is not the England XI which will take on the Stanford Superstars for US$20 million tomorrow.

The likes of Sir Vivian Richards, Reverend Wes Hall, Joel Garner and Courtney Walsh mince few words when it comes to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and its management of the game in the region.

The ever-loquacious Hall, as in his playing days, led the attack at a press conference on Wednesday at the Stanford Cricket Ground.

"We (the Stanford 20/20 board) will never do anything that is to the detriment of West Indies cricket, but we are a bit frustrated because we give them (the WICB) money and they put it on fixed deposit or spend it on non-cricket things. (Sir Allen) Stanford is very rich, but he's not a benevolent fund, and you have to obey the rules," Hall, a pace great of the '60s, said.

Structure

"You have to have a structure, you have to have your youngsters playing on a regular basis.

"We have to stop feeding the birds by giving more oats to the horse," said Hall, a former WICB president.

Said Sir Viv: "A lot of people have expressed views about people who are in administrative roles. Does West Indies cricket need more money? I don't think so. What we need now is a properly run management system.