NEW DELHI-Legendary West Indies captain Sir Viv Richards believes the regional side will need a major catalyst if they are to be contenders at next year's Cricket World Cup in Asia. Though admitting that the Windies possessed the talent to win the tournament with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard expected to feature, the feared batsman of the 1970s and 80s said the side would need a talisman if they were to spring a surprise. West Indies are ranked number eight in the official ICC One-Day International rankings and are not among the favourites for the February 11 to April 2 showpiece across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
"Some prayer would obviously help," Sir Viv joked in reference to the Windies winning the World Cup.
"On a serious note, they do have the talent but they need to get things organised a bit. "Maybe they need a catalyst who could inspire them like Arjuna did with the Sri Lankan team during the 1996 World Cup. "West Indies won the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 and were also losing finalists in the 1983 showpiece when they lost to India. For this tournament, they will campaign in Group B alongside Bangladesh, England, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa and India, who have been identified as early favourites by Sir Viv.
"They are the number one in the world (in Test matches) and have a volatile crowd behind them," said the 58-year-old, who was a member of both World Cup-winning teams. "They have something to defend. The team is going to South Africa where pitches will be different but it can prove to be helpful as they prepare for the World Cup." Ranatunga, who captained the successful Sri Lanka side in 1996, questioned India's character under pressure. "I have seen the Indian team fail in pressure situations while playing in front of 100 000 people. There are times when the expectations are huge and it takes a toll," Ranatunga said. (CMC)
