The West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph opted out of the ongoing Test series against Pakistan, citing personal reasons when the squad was announced on July 23. The following day, head coach Daren Sammy revealed during a press conference that Joseph had declined selection. This public disclosure sparked a disagreement between the two, with Joseph later criticising Sammy’s characterisation of his decision as lacking context.
West Indies legend Viv Richards has now weighed into the dispute, expressing concern about how the situation was handled publicly. Richards felt that the matter could have been resolved more discreetly between the player and the coaching staff without drawing media attention.
“I would like to think that Alzarri, and this is just my opinion, would have made it clear as to exactly what the whole stuff was and how he felt and what he meant and I think there are two sides to the story. To get the coach saying – and to me it looks like he (was saying) – he (Alzarri) refused selection, and that’s pushing it in my opinion, it’s pushing it in a very big way. 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 as quoted by The Indian Express.
Richards expressed concern that public statements about such matters can damage a player’s career and reputation. He noted that Joseph and Sammy had shared a strong working relationship during Joseph’s time with the St Lucia franchise, making the current tension surprising.
“This sometimes hampers guys’ professional careers, you know. 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. 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 at times, knowing that sometimes the mistakes that we make, we can always put things together and get these guys going again,” Richards said.
Richards criticises Sammy’s public statement
Joseph clarified that his decision stemmed from workload management following a lengthy injury layoff, rather than any unwillingness to represent West Indies. The fast bowler felt that Sammy’s public characterisation of his absence as a declined selection misrepresented the situation and created an unnecessary narrative.
“We had a chat, myself and the head coach. I’ve also had a chat with CWI and if you realise the statement CWI released said personal reasons. Mr Sammy, being around for a long time, he knows exactly what that statement would have done. So to be honest, I have nothing to say to Mr Sammy in terms of his statement. Like I said, he knows exactly what that statement would have done and the narrative it would have pushed in the public.” Joseph said.
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