December 4th: Today's Feature - Sir Viv Richards, Pt II

December

PART II: Viv Richards

After cricket

Richards is a commentator on BBC's Test Match Special (TMS). He participated in Prince Edward of the United Kingdom's 1987 charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament. He was featured in the 2010 documentary movie Fire in Babylon and spoke about his experiences playing for the West Indies. Richards joined the Delhi Daredevils as their mentor in The Indian Premier League in 2013, and also mentored the Quetta Gladiators in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 Pakistan Super League.

Personality and playing style

Quiet and self-contained away from the pitch, Richards was a very powerful right-handed batsman with an extremely attacking style, "possibly the most destructive batsman the sport has ever seen". 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, and played his entire 17-year career without a helmet.

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. His batting often completely dominated opposing bowlers. 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.

Richards was notorious for punishing bowlers that dared to sledge him,so much so, that many opposing captains banned their players from the practice. However playing for Somerset in a county game against Glamorgan, Greg Thomas attempted to sledge Richards after he had played and missed at several balls in a row. He sarcastically informed Richards: "It's red, round and it's about five ounces, in case you were wondering." Richards then hammered the next delivery for 6, straight out of the stadium and into a nearby river. Turning back to the bowler, he commented: "You know what it looks like, now go and find it.”

Autobiographies

Richards, with David Foot, wrote an autobiography titled Viv Richards, in 1979.

In 1991, Richards published a second autobiography entitled Hitting Across the Line. 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

*Richards' Test career batting chart

*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.

*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.

International records

In 1986, Richards became the first batsman to score a Test century at a strike rate of over 150.

Richards scored the fastest century in Test history (56 balls) in 1986, being sole record holder until his feat was first equalled by Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014 and then eclipsed by Brendon McCullum's 54-ball ton in 2016.

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.

Along with Michael Holding, Richards holds the record for the highest ever 10th wicket partnership in ODI history.(106*)

He also holds the record for the highest individual ODI score when batting at number 4 position (189*)

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.

Richards was the first player to complete the double of scoring 1000 runs and taking 50 wickets in ODI history.

Honours

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in 2012

In 1994, Richards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket. In 1999, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Nation (KCN) by his native country Antigua and Barbuda. In 2006, he was upgraded to Antigua and Barbuda highest award, Knight of the Order of the National Hero (KNH).

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.

The Richards–Botham Trophy, replacing the Wisden Trophy for winners of West Indies–England Test series, is named in honour of Richards and Sir Ian Botham.

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.

Legacy and place in cricket history

In 2000, Richards was named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, coming fifth behind Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Shane Warne in the poll of 100 international cricket experts appointed by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

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. For Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri and Neil Fairbrother, he has been cited as the best batsman they personally witnessed. Wasim Akram rates Richards the greatest batsman he ever bowled to, ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Martin Crowe.

Akram also rates Richards as the best and most complete batsman he ever saw ahead of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Crowe himself rated Richards as the best batsman he played against, along with Greg Chappell. 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.

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

Ian Botham who is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time and one of England's greatest cricketers, rates Richards as the greatest batsman he ever saw ahead of Sunil Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Martin Crowe, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.

Michael Holding, often regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and part of the West Indies four-prolonged pace attack during the late 1970s and early 1980s rates Richards as the greatest batsman he witnessed in the last 50 years. England's fast bowling great Bob Willis rated Richards as greatest batsman he ever witnessed and best he ever bowled to.

At number 3:- Viv Richards; I never saw Donald Bradman play but if he was better player than Viv then he must have been some player.

Bob Willis on Viv Richards

Australian fast bowling greats Jeff Thomson often regarded as the fastest bowler in cricket history along with Dennis Lillee rates Richards as best batsman they ever bowled against. Lillee rates Richards as best batsman he bowled to and went on to say him as The Supreme player. Thomson also rates Richards as the greatest batsman he bowled against.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell who is regarded as one of the best cricket captains of all time rates Richards as the most intimidating and dangerous batsman he ever saw who often changed games simply by walking to the crease.

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

Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar who are regarded as two of the greatest modern day batsman rates Richards as the best they ever saw and their batting idol while growing up.

Kumar Sangakara, former Sri Lankan Wicket keeper batsman often rates Richards along with Lara as the greatest batsman he ever witnessed and further calls Richards as his cricketing idol while growing up.

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-haq rates Richards as the greatest batsman he ever saw ahead of both Tendulkar and Lara.

The ICC has produced rankings for batsmen and bowlers for both the longer and shorter versions. In the ratings for Test Cricket, Richards holds the equal seventh highest peak rating (938), after Sir Donald Bradman (961), Steve Smith (947), Sir Len Hutton, Sir Jack Hobbs, Ricky Ponting and Peter May. The ODI ratings placed Richards in first followed by Zaheer Abbas and Greg Chappell. He topped the rankings at the end of the years 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1986.

He was voted the greatest cricketer since 1970 in a poll, ahead of Ian Botham and Shane Warne. That poll saw both Botham and Warne vote for Richards, and in the opinions of both, Richards is the greatest batsman they ever saw. In 2006, in a study done by a team of ESPN's Cricinfo magazine, Richards was again chosen as the greatest ODI Batsman ever.

To mark 150 years of the Cricketers' Almanack, Wisden named him in an all-time Test World XI.