Former West Indies captain Sir Richie Richardson received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) award for his contribution to sport at the UWI Five Islands Campus graduation ceremony on Saturday.
He said he, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Kurtley Ambrose and Sir Andy Roberts are committed to developing the identify and support emerging cricket talent.
Speaking at the event in Antigua and Barbuda, Richardson urged Caribbean people from “small islands” to never look at themselves as being small.
He received the honor along with a veteran Vincentian singer, Alston “Becket” Cyrus of Teaser fame.
“I remain optimistic and hopeful that the WI will return to being the best cricketing team in the world someday, hopefully pretty soon.”
He recalled that as a youngster, wanting to be like the great West Indian batsmen of yesteryear, wanting to make an impact on the world stage “lit a fire” in him for the game and to succeed.
“It is important that you know your history and identity and uses it to cultivate your present and your future. We are all from small island developing states and the harsh reality is that many persons in other parts of the world are not even aware of what our respective Caribbean islands are called or what ethnicities and cultures make up our people.
“But you can change this as you utilize your knowledge to strengthen sectors and create awareness of our existing cultures.”
Waiting and positive u will make it my Windies. My so much best wishes.