Viv Richards
Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side |
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Test debut (cap 151) | 22 November 1974 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Test | 8 August 1991 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ODI debut (cap 14) | 7 June 1975 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 27 May 1991 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1971–1981 | Combined Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1971–1991 | Leeward Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1974–1986 | Somerset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1976/77 | Queensland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990–1993 | Glamorgan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: CricInfo, 18 August 2007 |
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards
Richards made his test debut in 1974 against
He was knighted for his contributions to cricket in 1999.
In October 2013,
Early life
Richards was born to Malcolm and Gretel Richards in St. John's, Antigua, then part of the British Leeward Islands. He attended St. John's Boys Primary School and then Antigua Grammar Secondary School on a scholarship.[22]
Richards discovered cricket at a young age. His brothers,
Richards left school aged 18, and worked at D'Arcy's Bar and Restaurant in St. John's. He joined St. John's Cricket Club and the owner of the restaurant where he worked, D'Arcy Williams, provided him with new
Richards was suspended from playing cricket for two years when he was a 17-year-old in 1969. Playing for
"I behaved very badly and I am not proud of it. But those in authority, who were advising me, didn't do themselves very proud either. I was told to restore peace I should go back out to bat. I did not want to and was not very happy about it. Had I been a more experienced player then I think I would have refused. But go back I did. I was made to look a fool for the convenience of the local cricket authorities."[27]
Cricket career
Richards made his
By the time Richards was 22, he had played matches in the Antigua, Leeward Islands and Combined Islands tournaments. In 1973, his abilities were noticed by Len Creed, Vice Chairman at Somerset, who was in Antigua at the time as part of a West Country touring side.[31] Surrey had earlier rejected both Richards and Andy Roberts at the Surrey Indoor Nets in late 1972. "They did not think we were good enough even to further our cricket education."[32]
Move to England, 1973–1974
Richards relocated to the United Kingdom, where Creed arranged for him to play league cricket for Lansdown C.C. in
Richards then moved to Taunton in 1974 in preparation for his professional debut with
Test debut to international stardom, 1975–1984
Richards made his
In 1975 Richards helped the West Indies to win the
1976 was perhaps Richards' finest year: he scored 1710 runs, at an astonishing average of 90.00, with seven centuries in 11 Tests. This achievement is all the more remarkable considering he missed the second Test at Lord's after contracting
Richards had a long and successful career in the
Richards refused a "blank-cheque" offer to play for a rebel West Indies squad in South Africa during the Apartheid era in 1983, and again in 1984.
West Indies captain, 1984–1991
Richards captained the West Indies in 50 Test matches from 1984 to 1991. He is the only
During a match against Zimbabwe during the 1983 Cricket World Cup, Richards returned to the crease after a stoppage for bad light and accidentally took strike at the wrong end, which remains a very rare occurrence.[40]
Richards made his highest
After his sacking from Somerset, Richards spent the 1987 season in the Lancashire League playing as Rishton CC's professional,[44] in preparation for the West Indies tour the following season.
In November 1988, while
Richards returned to county cricket for the 1990 season towards the end of his career to play for
After cricket
Richards is a commentator on BBC's
Personality and playing style
Quiet and self-contained away from the pitch,[3] Richards was a very powerful right-handed batsman with an extremely attacking style, "possibly the most destructive batsman the sport has ever seen".[3] He was also an excellent fielder and a more than competent off-spin bowler. He is often regarded as the most physically devastating and exciting batsman that ever played the game by cricketers, journalists, fans and others alike,[50][51] and played his entire 17-year career without a helmet.[50][51][52]
His fearless and aggressive style of play, and relaxed but determined demeanor made him a great crowd favourite and an intimidating prospect for opposition bowlers all over the world. The word "swagger" is frequently used to describe his batting style.[3][53][54] His batting often completely dominated opposing bowlers.[53][54] He had the ability to drive good-length balls from outside off-stump through midwicket, his trademark shot, and was one of the great exponents of the hook shot.[55]
Richards was notorious for punishing bowlers that dared to
Autobiographies
Richards, with David Foot, wrote an autobiography titled Viv Richards, in 1979.[58]
In 1991, Richards published a second autobiography entitled Hitting Across the Line.[59] In the book, Richards describes how his whole life revolved around sports, cricket in particular. Of special interest is his technique, expressed by the title of the book. To hit across the line of the ball is considered taboo, and dangerously risky. However, Richards' explanation of the conditions in which he played cricket in Antigua as a child, explains how this technique came to be.
Achievements
Statistical summary
In his Test career, he scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches at an average of 50.23 (including 24 centuries). Richards also scored 5 centuries in World Series Cricket between 1977 and 1979. These are not recognised by the ICC as "official" Test centuries. Richards won 27 of 50 matches as a Test captain, and lost only 8. He is also the scorer of the equal second fastest-ever Test century, from just 56 balls against England in Antigua during the 1986 tour.[60] He hit 84 sixes in Test cricket. His highest innings of 291 is equal seventh (along with Ramnaresh Sarwan) on the list of West Indies' highest individual scores.[61]
International records
- In 1986, Richards became the first batsman to score a Test century at a strike rate of over 150.[62]
- Richards scored the fastest century in Test history (56 balls) in 1986,[63] being sole record holder until his feat was first equalled by Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014[64] and then eclipsed by Brendon McCullum's 54-ball ton in 2016.[65]
- Richards set a record for being the fastest batsman to 1,000 ODI runs (21 innings); this record has subsequently been equalled by Kevin Pietersen, Babar Azam, Jonathan Trott, and Quinton de Kock.[66]
- Along with Michael Holding, Richards holds the record for the highest ever 10th wicket partnership in ODI history.(106*)[67]
- He also holds the record for the highest individual ODI score when batting at number 4 position (189*)[68]
- He became the first player to score a fifty and to take a five wicket haul in the same ODI. He also became the first cricketer to score a century as well as to take a five wicket haul in the same ODI match.[69][70]
- Richards was the first player to complete the double of scoring 1000 runs and taking 50 wickets in ODI history.[71]
Honours
In 1994, Richards was appointed an
The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, is named in his honour. It was built for use in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The ground has hosted three Test matches, as well as a number of One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals.[74][75][76]
The
In 2022, Richards was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community (OOC), the highest honour that can be conferred upon a Caribbean national. The award confers the styling "The Honourable" as well.[78]
Legacy and place in cricket history
In 2000, Richards was named one of the five
Several prominent personalities including former cricketer Imran Khan and writer John Birmingham are of the opinion that Richards was the best ever batsman against genuine fast bowling.[53][80] For Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri and Neil Fairbrother, he has been cited as the best batsman they personally witnessed.[81][82][83] Wasim Akram rates Richards the greatest batsman he ever bowled to, ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Martin Crowe.[84]
Akram also rates Richards as the best and most complete batsman he ever saw ahead of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.[85][86] Crowe himself rated Richards as the best batsman he played against, along with Greg Chappell.[87] Arguably the two greatest spinners ever, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne both idolize Richards. Murali idolized Richards in his years growing up, while Warne rates him the greatest batsman "for me", and overall just after Bradman.[88]
If you talk about a batsman with an unmatched technique, charisma and someone who had a huge impact on the game, it is Sir Vivian Richards. I have played against all the greats from mid-eighties to the nineties to the 2000s, but Viv Richards was a class apart
-Wasim Akram on Viv Richards
At number 3:- Viv Richards; I never saw
Donald Bradmanplay but if he was better player than Viv then he must have been some player
Bob Willis on Viv Richards
For sheer ability to rip an attack apart with animal like brutality and still maintaining better consistency then all others around. I have to pick Viv on top of the list. I just love bowling to the man because it was such a challenge. I regard him as the supreme player. I think we finished about level- I got him as often as he got me
- Dennis Lillee on Viv Richards in his autobiography Menance
The
He was voted the greatest cricketer since 1970 in a poll, ahead of
To mark 150 years of the Cricketers' Almanack, Wisden named him in an all-time Test World XI.[104]
Football
Some writers contend that Richards also played international football for Antigua and Barbuda, appearing in qualifying matches for the 1974 World Cup.[105][106] However, he does not appear in recorded line-ups for these matches.[107]
Personal life
Richards and his wife Miriam have two children, including Mali, who has also played first-class cricket. Richards is also godfather to Ian Botham's son, Liam.[108][109]
Richards had a brief relationship with Indian actress Neena Gupta,[110] with whom he has a daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta.[111][112]
See also
References
- ^ CricInfo profile
- ^ "Vivian Richards salutes the original Smokin' Joe". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Sir Viv Richards at 60: Former team-mates on West Indies legend". BBC Sport.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Sealey, Louis (ed.). "Michael Holding rates West Indies hero Viv Richards as the best batsman in history – Metro". Metro.co.Uk. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
As he was batting at No 3 for West Indies, I often saw him watch the first couple of overs, get a visual picture, and then go and sleep. People would have to wake him up and say 'Viv, it's your turn'. Sometimes it was early, sometimes, because you had (Gordon) Greenidge and (Desmond) Haynes, not so early
- ISBN 978-0-241-12046-0.
When he was captain at school he promoted himself to no.3 in batting order, a batting position where he kept and played for most of his career
- ^ "Jeff Thomson's spell at Barbados in 1978 was the fastest I've seen: Tony Cozier". Cricket Country. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
With the batting, you had one of the top opening pairs at the time and one of the greatest of all time in Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, and then you had Viv Richards at three to begin with
- ^ "Stats from the Past: The best ODI batsmen from across eras | Highlights | Cricinfo Magazine". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "Stats analysis: Viv Richards | Specials | Cricinfo Magazine". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "Viv Richards- The greatest ODI batsman of all time". Sify. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "Viv Richards was a complete genius: Imran Khan". DAWN.COM. 2 April 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Featured Columnist (13 November 2013). "The ICC Ranking System's Top 10 Batsmen in ODI Cricket History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Staff Reporter (18 August 2000). "Lara's vision blurry". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Viv Richards profile by Mike Selvey". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ Sengupta, Arunabha (11 March 2013). "Vivian Richards: The most feared and devastating batsman in history". Cricket Country. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "In a league of his own". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Antiguan government bestows knighthood on Vivian Richards (4 January 1999)". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Richards, Gilmour top Wisden ODI list". rediff.com. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Tendulkar second-best ever: Wisden". rediff.com. 14 December 2002. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ Cricinfo (2 January 2009). "ICC and FICA launch Cricket Hall of Fame". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Wisden names all-time World Test XI". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ McDonald (1984), pp. 25–6.
- ^ Richards (1982), pp. 22–3.
- ^ McDonald (1984), pp. 32–3.
- ^ Richards, Viv; Foot, David (1979). Viv Richards. Surrey, UK: World's Work Ltd. p. 26.
- ^ Baptiste, Neto (29 September 2020). "A Tale Of Three Ducks And A Two Year Ban For Viv Richards". Antigua Observer. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Viv Richards' two-year ban". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ ISBN 978-0-437-14470-6.
- ^ Richards, Viv, page 21, Sir Vivian – the Definitive Biography, Michael Joseph, 2000
- ^ Viv Richards Somerset Debut – 27 April 1974 at Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Your chance to ask West Indies legend Sir Viv Richards a question to be aired on Inside Cricket". Fox Sports. 14 December 2012.
- ^ Croft quizzes Richards BBC online.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Cricinfo – Within the laws but against the spirit". Content-uk.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ [1] Archived 12 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Martin-Jenkins, p. 68.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ Green, David (22 July 2003). "Somerset tribute to Richards". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Rishton Professionals". lancashireleague.com. Nigel Stockley and CricketArchive. 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "BBC News, 1 November 2006". BBC News. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "Vivian Richards to mentor Quetta Gladiators". The Express Tribune. 31 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Player Profile: Sir Viv Richards". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ a b "Five cricketers of the century: Sir Vivian Richards". Wisden. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ Daffey, Paul (1 January 2005). "The Ten". The Age. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ a b c Birmingham, John. "Viv Richards: bowler killer". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ a b Cricinfo – Emperor, empowerer Archived 3 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Choudhury, Chandrahas (19 September 2004). "Playing hooky". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ^ Telfer, Alex. "The Top 10 Greatest Cricket Sledges of All-Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Charles, Chris (15 July 2003). "Lighter examples of sledging – BBC Sport". BBC News. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Viv Richards, David Foot (1979). Viv Richards. Great Britain: World's Work Ltd.
- ISBN 0-7472-0438-1.
- ^ "Test matches – Batting records – Fastest hundreds". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Records – Test matches – Batting records – Most runs in an innings – ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo.
- ^ "Records | Test matches | Batting records | Highest strike rate in an innings | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ Baker, Andrew. "Sir Viv Richards smashes fastest century in Test match history". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Records | Test matches | Batting records | Fastest hundreds | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "McCullum scores fastest hundred in Test history". Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Records | One-Day Internationals | Batting records | Fastest to 1000 runs | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Records | One-Day Internationals | Partnership records | Highest partnerships by wicket | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Highest ODI scores at each batting position". cricinfo.
- ^ "A hundred and four wickets in an innings". cricinfo.
- ^ "A century and fifer in an ODI innings". cricinfo.
- ^ "1000 runs & 50 wickets in ODI career". cricinfo.
- ^ List of the awards The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), from the archive, 11 June 1994.
- ^ "Antiguan government bestows knighthood on Vivian Richards (4 January 1999)". ESPN Sports Media Ltd. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "England v West Indies: Richards-Botham Trophy to replace Wisden Trophy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "Sir Vivian Richards OOC Citation". CARICOM. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Wisden – Five cricketers of the century". Cricinfo. 23 October 2008.
- ^ Khan, Imran (October 1993). "Richards The Perfectionist – A Genius of His Generation". Pakistani Cricketer. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ Manjrekar, Sanjay (18 November 2006). "Lara the greatest among his peers". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Gilchrist is the best batsman in the world". rediff.com. 18 March 2003. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ Brett, Oliver (13 November 2003). "Who is the greatest?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Wasim Akram picks five all-time best batsmen; chooses Sachin Tendulkar as fifth best". CricTracker. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Akram finds Aussies still top of heap". Hindustan Times. 18 December 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Wasim Akram ranks Sachin Tendulkar 5th in his list of top batsmen, gives reason for his choice". Hindustan Times. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "My Sport: Martin Crowe". Daily Telegraph. London. 1 June 2004. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Murali, Viv and Shane, three of the best". The Roar. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Lokapally, Vijay (27 May 2020). "Botham: Virat Kohli an ambassador, Ben Stokes most exciting". Sportstar. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Why Michael Holding believes Viv Richards is the best batsman he has ever seen". Scroll.in. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-4722-2701-0.
The best batsman I bowled against in order were Viv Richards, Garry Sobbers, David Gower, Grame Pollock and Barry Richards. For sheer ability to rip an attack apart with animal like brutality and still maintaining better consistency then all others around. I have to pick Viv on top of the list. I just love bowling to the man because it was such a challenge. I regard him as the supreme player
- ^ "No batsman better than Viv". Queensland Times. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "We had long memories: Dennis Lillee". The West Australian. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Michael Holding and Ian Chappell on Viv Richards: The greatest ODI player". Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Sunil Gavaskar and Viv Richards were Sachin Tendulkar's batting heroes". Deccan Herald. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ "Kumar Sangakkara reveals names of his favourite batsmen, both are from the West Indies". Hindustan Times. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ "Can't see his aggression in modern game: Inzamam-ul-Haq names iconic batsman, speaks about his passion". Hindustan Times. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Reliance ICC Player Rankings". Relianceiccrankings.com. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "Reliance ICC Player Rankings". Relianceiccrankings.com. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Viv Richards, Bob Harris: Sir Vivian: The Definitive Autobiography, 2000. ASIN 0718144341.
- ^ "Cricinfo – "Is Vivian Richards the most effective ODI player?"". Content-usa.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "WG Grace and Shane Warne in Wisden all-time World Test XI". BBC. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "Master blaster". London: Guardian Limited. 3 June 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ "Off-side – a cricketing XI that made strides in football". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Sir Viv Richards at 60 by Ian Botham. Daily Mirror Newspaper (UK). Published 7 March 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ Cricket's Babe Ruth – Sports Illustrated. Article: Clive Gammon. Published 27 October 1986. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ Vimla Patil Saans: A breath of fresh air. The Tribune (India). 28 February 1999
- ^ "Viva Richards". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 24 November 2002. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Nandakumar Marar Sania is an icon for Indian sport: Masaba The Hindu – 24 February 2005
Sources
- Martin-Jenkins, C. (1983) The Cricketer Book of Cricket Disasters and Bizarre Records, Century Publishing: London. ISBN 0-7126-0191-0.
- McDonald, Trevor (1984). Viv Richards: The Authorised Biography. Sphere. ISBN 0722157274.
- Richards, Viv; Foot, David (1982). Viv Richards (autobiography). Star. ISBN 0352312084.
External links
- Viv Richards at ESPNcricinfo
- Viv Richards at IMDb