Cricket Special Report: Sir Vivian Richards – the epitome of greatness (Part 1)
“Wherever the fight is, I'm going to be fighting. I didn't want to be rude to anyone but anyone who is rude to me, then I was going to be rude in the right way: my bat was going to tell the story. You had guys who didn't believe in the black man,”
one of the greatest batsmen in the annals of history, Sir Vivian Richards remarked when asked where he found his motivation to play the way he did against England and other world class sides.
This majestic cricketer, played his entire career without a helmet and was regarded as the most devastating batsman of his time, by cricketers journalists and fans who had witnessed nothing like what they saw when this man came on to bat. In 2002, he was
chosen as one of the greatest ODI batsman of all times, behind the likes of Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
Vivian Richards was an artist more than a batsman. He was like Picasso, his artistic strokes made a beautiful little painting. One that enthralled the cricket fans awed them and entertained them. Many cricketing personalities such as the great all rounder
Imran Khan, and noted writer John Birmingham both have been of the view that Vivian Richards was without an iota of doubt the best batsman against genuine fast bowling. Ian Chappel the famous cricketer rates Vivian Richards as the second best batsman ever
after the great Sir Garfield Sobers. He reined the pitch of cricket for a long time, and his 17 year old career saw him reach great heights with his performance. Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri and Neil Fairbrother however rated him as the best batsman they had
ever witnessed in the cricketing arena.
Vivian Richards kept the bowlers pondering, wondering what to expect. He was not the most conventional of players and he was without a doubt one of the most competitive cricketers to have emerged in the game of cricket. His reign on the pitch comprised of
calculated menace and astonishing theatre, appearing from the pavilion sauntering swaggering his arms slowly. Once on the crease, head tilted backwards and chewing on his gum, he would often walk a few paces down the pitch to tap it, while looking the bowler
straight in the eye.
He would inject fear and panic amongst the opposition, such was the menacing threat that his batting posed to other teams and was sometimes also referred to as the batting machine. The nick name of Master Blaster would not do any justice to the batting prowess
of this phenomenon that people knew as Sir Vivian Richards. He kept the West Indian pride close to his heart when he was in the centre of the stage for his batting exploits, often wearing the heart on his proverbial sleeve.
However, words would not do justice to this absolutely magnificent cricketing legend for he was a one off, a pearl and finely carved diamond, moving head on against the opposing teams like a gargantuan juggernaut.
His reign of supremacy also earned him a plethora of awards and accolades. He was named as Wisden cricketer of the year in 1977, Walter Lawrence Trophy winner in 1980 and 1986 respectively. Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year 1988, Knighthood from Antigua
Government in 1999, Inductee in the ICC hall of fame in 1999, one of the five Wisden cricketers who were named cricketers of the century that included the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Don Bradman, Shane Warne and Jack Hobbs. Best Wisden ODI innings of
all time 2002 with a 189 N/O against England in 1984, Honorary Doctor of Laws degree and a stadium named in his honour known as the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in 2007.
However, merely his accolades cannot possibly do justice to the artistic brilliance that the world of cricket saw in the great man, Vivian Richards.
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