ST. JOHNS (Antigua): May 11: Sir Viv Richards, probably the best cricket batsman of his era, has admitted that at this time the West Indies “are at the lowest we have been in any period”.

Interviewed on the general state of West Indies cricket, Sir Viv told BBC Radio here that one had to take a realistic view and realise that fortunes “do fluctuate from time to time.

“We are searching for the sort of formula that can blend well collectively. We are re-building and are going through a slow proces at this particular point.

“We will lose a few matches along the way if we are going to rebuild successfully but we do it with the younger folks to take us through to the next state”, the West Indian legend observed.

Sir Viv believes Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar should work on consistency. In the fourth test between India and West Indies Tendulkar was dismissed without scoring on Friday by Pedro Collins.

Sir Viv’s words came in the same week that Sunil Gavaskar announced he had spotted a recent flaw in Tendulkar’s technique.

Asked to compare the Indian batsman with Trinidadian Brian Lara, Sir Viv said: “I believe Tendulkar could have been a bit more productive in terms of consistency.

“But when Brian Lara is on fire there isn’t a better sight in world cricket. Having two brillinat individuals at the top of the pecking order when it comes to batsmanship... I just think it’s a privilege we can have the two.

“And if one fails we can expect something from the other two. Saying that, I would love to see Brian Lara in full flow all the time.” Sir Viv added he will “never, ever get to the point of separating” Lara and Tendulkar.—PPI