Former international batsman Richie Richardson has been named the new West Indies team manager, the West Indies Cricket Board said on Saturday.

Richardson, who played 86 Test matches and 224 One-Day Internationals, scoring a total of 21 centuries, replaces Joel Garner, who had held the position on an interim basis.

The ex-West Indies captain, has been appointed for a two-year term and will be in charge for the side's tour to Sri Lanka for three one-day games to be followed by the World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The 49-year-old Antiguan will work alongside coach Otis Gibson and skipper Darren Sammy as the West Indies look to turn around several years of decline.

"As a former player and captain, I gave my all for West Indies cricket on the field. We are at the cusp of a new era and it is now time for me to contribute off the field and aid in the building and resurgence of West Indies cricket," Richardson said in a statement.