by HAYDN GILL

in Trinidad

BARBADOS' most consistent opening batsman for the last few seasons is contemplating an early retirement
from first-class cricket and is also questioning the attitude of some of his teammates.

Dale Richards, Barbados' leading run-scorer in this year's Carib Beer Series, was extremely disappointed after the team crashed to a heavy defeat by 250 runs in their final round match against Trinidad and Tobago at Guaracara Park on Monday.

In an interview with NATIONSPORT after the match, the 31-year-old Richards was emotional in saying the time had come for him to consider his future.

"The way how I feel right now . . . just to step down and let the board invest in a young guy at the top to look to carry forward Barbados' cricket. I have to really sit down and think about next year," he said.

He was speaking on a day in which he stroked 77 off 69 balls, but Barbados, set 452 in 80 overs, could not even be saved by a few rain breaks and were dismissed for 201 with 12.1 overs remaining.

It was the second time in the match that the batsmen had disappointed – the team made an inadequate 184 in the first innings – and Barbados ended up losing an encounter they had to win in order to advance to the Challenge Final.

"After playing for Barbados for a few seasons now [I realise] . . . we are investing in some young guys who seem not to understand the situation of playing for Barbados," Richards said.

"The guys aren't focused enough. Playing for Barbados is a very serious thing. We have so many young guys that can come here and play for Barbados as well. Everyone does not get the opportunity to play for Barbados."

In a truncated eight-year first-class career in which he was dogged by injuries, especially in his earlier years, Richards scored 2 054 runs – including two centuries and 14 half-centuries – (ave. 36.67) in 31 matches.

One of the opener's disappointments this season, in which his aggregate of 447 runs (ave. 44.70) was the second-highest in the competition, is in failing to score a hundred after passing fifty four times.

"I'm very disappointed. I mark myself very, very hard. I've played with guys like Courtney Browne, Sherwin Campbell, Philo Wallace and Adrian Griffith," Richards said.

"When you play with those guys, you can't come here looking to make sport at this cricket.
In future, I would hope that the board will sit down and look to carry forward Barbados' cricket in the right way."

One of the areas that he feels needs to be addressed is the captaincy.

"We might definitely have to look for a leader. I'm not saying that my skippers did not do a good job.

"We had Dwayne [Smith] and Corey [Collymore], but I don't know if Corey will continue . . . . We have to sit down and look to the future."