Cricket equipment � champions � Viv Richards

When championship cricketer Viv Richards wielded his cricket equipment, everyone else stood to attention

One of the finest batsmen

Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards was born on 7 March 1952 at St. John's , Antigua . Considered to be one of the finest batsmen of all time, he was also a part time off break bowler. One of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, he was nominated Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1977. A true champion cricketer, Richard wielded his cricket equipment like no-one else, and the very sight of him walking in with his famous swagger, chewing gum, his huge shoulders loosening up for action, sent shivers down the spines of international bowlers.

Facts and Figures

Richards made his test debut for the West Indies at Bangalore against India in 1974-5 and his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka in the World Cup of 1975. His last test was against England at the Oval in 1991 and his last One Day International was at Lord's in the same series. Playing 121 tests, he scored 8,540 runs at an average of 50.23, with 24 hundreds and 291 as his highest score. He claimed 32 wickets and took 122 catches. In 187 One Day Internationals, champion cricketer Richards used his cricket equipment to score 6,721 runs at an average of 47.00, with 11 hundreds and 189 not out as his highest score.

Champion for fifteen years

For more than fifteen years, champion Richards used his cricket equipment to play all the shots in the game, and his flicks to mid-wicket and the pull shots were absolutely breathtaking. He could easily dispatch a short of a good length ball to the cover boundary with a classical back foot drive, or just swish it through mid-wicket for four.

An apocryphal tale

One young � highly rated - England fast bowler once beat him with his first four deliveries in a side game. The bowler made the mistake of showing off, saying, � Hey, Viv. It's round and red in colour. Can you see it?� Richards didn't reply, but dispatched the next delivery right out of the ground, into the river across the road. While the groundsmen were looking for the ball, Richards walked down the pitch, tapping at imaginary bootmarks, and chewing his gum and drawled, � You know how the ball looks. Now, go get it!�

A man of principle

Richards is held in great public esteem for his personal principles in refusing 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. He proved himself a champion both with his cricket equipment and for his conviction that sanctions against South Africa must be upheld.

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