Viv Richards during a promotional event in St John’s. (Reuters)

St John’s: Sir Vivian Richards believes Australia are by no means a certainty to win a third World Cup in a row. He feels New Zealand could win it for the first time.

Richards was on the West Indies line-up that won the first two titles in 1975 and ’79 and Australia are the only other team to win back-to-back World Cups in 1999 and 2003.

“As confident as they’ve been, Australia will be worried that they’ve not had a hiccup until now,” Richards said in reference to five lopsided victories for Ricky Ponting’s team.

They still haven’t faced New Zealand, which they will in the Super 8 in Grenada on April 20, by which time both teams should have long confirmed a place in the semi-final.

“In Shane Bond, New Zealand’s got a strike bowler who’s got the armoury to dislodge any batsman,” he said.

Meanwhile the cricket great who scored a masterful 138 not out in the 1979 final against England at Lord’s, says he is finding it hard to come to terms with the sight of the struggling West Indies playing their World Cup matches in the Caribbean in front of sparsely crowded galleries.

Seeing row after row of empty seats a newly built stadium named after him in his native Antigua, Richards is anguished at the low attendance at matches at all Caribbean venues. He attributes it to the organisers’ decision on placing too many restrictions on the spectators.

Crowds at all Caribbean venues have been way below expectations. The problem has been confounded with the poor performance of the West Indies, which have lost three successive Super 8 matches and now seem likely to miss out on the semi-finals.

“The World Cup was supposed to give West Indies cricket a huge boost, but something seems to have seriously gone wrong,” Richards said.

“You see these sparsely occupied stands and wonder what’s happening, and then you discover that fans have been discouraged by excessive restrictions when coming to the cricket.

“We in the Caribbean are an exciting and vibrant people, we’re rather unique,” Richards said. “Those who’ve played cricket in the West Indies know how cricket reflects the vibrancy of our way of life.

“That vibrancy of Caribbean cricket followers has been sort of stifled by the organisers.”

Cricket fans in the West Indies often arrive at the venues with their own musical instruments, which creates a carnival atmosphere and becomes a massive sideshow to the game in the middle. But World Cup organisers placed a restriction on the instruments, which can only be brought in after prior permission.

“It is like someone suddenly comes and tells you, ‘I don’t want you to shout any more,’” Richards said. (AP)