Richards warns that players moolah greed could spell doom for cricket's future

Melbourne, Feb.25 (ANI): West Indies cricket great Sir Vivian Richards says the greed of some modern players is threatening the game's future.

Richards, 57, is in Australia on a speaking tour with his one-time Australian sparring partner Rodney Hogg.

The Age quoted him, as saying: "Young players are ignoring the cricket that brought them to the fore because of the money they are earning. Pardon me, but I hope they do not s-t on the game. Some of the young players don't appreciate how they got to where they are, how others made the path for them."

Despite having never played Twenty20, Richards enjoys the concept. But he likens it to fast food, a treat for eating healthy food, which in his case is Tests and the 50-over format.

"I believe there is room for all three forms of the game, but the administrators have to get their scheduling right," he said.

As for the plight of a team he captained 50 times without a series lost between 1984-91, Richards said: "I am very disappointed. The public deserves better because they are used to a high-level performance from our teams."

"You can't fool the Australian cricketing public who must have felt a huge let-down with this particular team."

Richards says the West Indian team is only as good as the people it works for. And he doesn't rate "the people they work for" very highly. He says there is a lack of trust between the players and dministrators and questions where the money dedicated to cricket ends up. (ANI)