Sachin good only at home — Richards

Richards, who was on a private visit to Dubai, told Khaleej Times that India had not been able to produce a genuine swing or fast bowler after Kapil Dev because they were not making any serious effort. ‘‘The wickets there are slow and then there is lot of politics in selection. Talent alone is not enough. The guy is from Punjab or Mumbai or down South…All these things count.’’

Asked how Pakistan was able to produce world class players, the South african cricket great said, ‘‘Yes, it amazes me quite a lot. One of the reasons may be the players out there use cricket as a vehicle to get out of the slums for better life…I really don’t know’’.

Richards said he was concerned with the widening gap between teams like Australia and South africa and the rest of the world. ‘‘Australia and South Africa are far ahead in the race and their series are fast becoming one-sided affairs. Australia are the best of the lot with South africa not very far behind.’’

‘‘The two teams are good because they have a solid domestic structure. And each club has a long strategic plan and they work accordingly’’, said Richards. He said, ‘‘I think the South Africans are weakening their base now by increasing the number of teams in the league. It is a political decision to include more blacks. It may work in the long run but it is bound to effect the standard of the team in the near future’’.

On the match-fixing scandal, Richards said, ‘‘we have seen just a little of the sordid drama: there is still more to come. We have to wait and watch how things unfold in the near future. Truth is still far away.’’ He said, ‘‘I don’t think all those who were involved in match-fixing will follow the example of Hansie Cronje and admit their roles in fixing matches. I am not trying to make Hansie a hero simply because he confessed to his crime.’’