Legends of Cricket: Bettor.com’s World XI – Sir Vivian Richards
“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; 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,”
sums up Vivian Richards charisma on the field.
He was a fighter and brave warrior who refused to hide under the cotton blanket with protective gear. So sure was he of his armour -cricket bat- that he flicked even the fastest of deliveries with lightning speed and accuracy of a samurai’s sword. He was
fearless against the feared and formidable against the intimidating. If there was ever a player to have earned the right to the title of being the stylista of stroke play and timing, it would have to be none other than Richards.
Vivian Richards played his entire career without a helmet; for he knew that his bat was his armour. He did not need anything else. He was like an artist, Picasso perhaps, enthralling the cricket fans with the beauty of his game. The mastery over his paintings
was unmatched as he composed verses of inspiration with his majestic timing and brilliant stroke play. In the words of the great all rounder Imran Khan and John Birmingham, Richards was perhaps the best cricketer against genuine fast bowlers.
His reign of dominance on the pitch comprised of calculated menace and enigmatic theatre. Like the dance of the warrior before the beginning of a battle, he would chew on his gum and walk down the pitch tapping it, as he looked the bowler in the eye. Making
his way on the field like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-King-c41197, Richards would take his time absorbing all that was around him and on his day, he was like a thunderbolt swashbuckling the ball like Zeus-the Greek god with lightening speed towards the boundary.
He was nicknamed the master blaster by some while others stood in awe as he unleashed his fury upon the opponent. He earned himself the award of Wisden cricketer of the year in 1977, the Walter Lawrence Trophy in 1980 and again in 1986, Indian Cricket-cricketer
of the year 1988, Knighthood from the Antigua Government in 1999, Inductee in the ICC hall of fame, named as one of the five people chosen for the cricketers of the century with the likes of greats such as Sir Gary Sobers, Sir Don Bradman, Shane Warne and
Jack Hobbs. His innings of 189 not out in an ODI match earned his performance the Wisden ODI innings of all time in 2002. In addition to this, a stadium has also been named in his honour in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760.
Sir Vivian was a man with zero tolerance against those who disrespected him on and off the field. This could partly explain the reason why he struck down so hard on the English men unleashing his best against their bowlers. He was innovative in his style
and critics wrote him off on English home ground since they believed that his style of playing across the line would not be much successful in the cold conditions. However, Vivian lashed out at them through his performances on the pitch. He believed in walking
the talk, rather than the other way round.
Against the likes of the fastest bowlers of his era, he refused to wear a helmet. Not against Lillee or Thomson, not against Imran Khan or http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kapil-Dev-c70234. His was like the red baron of the West Indies who would stand out there looking vulnerable and exposed,
yet behind that facade of weakness lay his greatest strength. With a Test batting average of 50 and an ODI average of 47, this man was a revelation on the cricket field.
In the words of John Birmingham, “If http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 were ever to prove competitive against their tormentors through that era, it meant getting rid of Richards early. It was more often a dream than reality.”
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