56 Facts About Viv Richards

Usually batting at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Viv Richards was part of the squads that won the 1975 Cricket World Cup and 1979 Cricket World Cup and finished as runners-up in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

Viv Richards made his Test debut in 1974 against India along with Gordon Greenidge.

Viv Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches at an average of 50.23 and retired as the West Indies leading run-scorer, overhauling the aggregate of Garfield Sobers.

Viv Richards scored 1,281 runs at an average of over 55 in World Series Cricket, which is sometimes regarded as the highest and most difficult level of cricket ever played.

Viv Richards scored nearly 7,000 runs in One Day Internationals and more than 36,000 in first-class cricket.

Viv Richards was knighted for his contributions to cricket in 1999.

In 2009, Viv Richards was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Viv Richards is one of only two batsman of the post-war era to feature in that team.

Viv Richards was born to Malcolm and Gretel Viv Richards in St John's, Antigua, then part of the British Leeward Islands.

The young Viv Richards initially practiced with his father and Pat Evanson, a neighbor and family friend, who had captained the Antigua side.

Viv Richards left school aged 18, and worked at D'Arcy's Bar and Restaurant in St John's.

Viv Richards joined St John's Cricket Club and the owner of the restaurant where he worked, D'Arcy Williams, provided him with new whites, gloves, pads and a bat.

Viv Richards was suspended from playing cricket for two years when he was a 17-year-old in 1969.

Viv Richards was then given a second opportunity to bat in an effort to appease the supporters, who were almost rioting.

Viv Richards made his first-class debut in January 1972 when he was 19.

Viv Richards took part in a non-competition match, representing the Leeward Islands against the Windwards: Richards made 20 and 26.

Viv Richards made his Lansdown debut, as part of the second XI, at Weston-super-Mare on 26 April 1973.

Viv Richards was employed by the club as assistant groundsman to head groundsman John Heyward, which allowed him some financial independence until his career was established.

Viv Richards cites Perera as a major influence on his cricket development especially with regards to post-game analysis.

Viv Richards finished his first season at Lansdown top of the batting averages and shortly afterwards was offered a two-year contract with county side Somerset.

Viv Richards made his Test match debut for the West Indian cricket team in 1974 against India in Bangalore.

Viv Richards made an unbeaten 192 in the second Test of the same series in New Delhi.

In 1975, Viv Richards helped the West Indies win the inaugural Cricket World Cup against Australia, a feat he later described as the most memorable of his career.

Viv Richards starred in the field, running out Alan Turner, Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell.

Viv Richards believes that on both occasions, despite internal island divisions, the Caribbean came together.

Viv Richards had a long and successful career in the County Championship in England, playing for many years for Somerset.

Viv 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.

Viv Richards captained the West Indies in 50 Test matches from 1984 to 1991.

Viv Richards is the only West Indies captain never to lose a Test series, and it is said that his fierce will to win contributed to this achievement.

Consequently, Ian Botham refused a new contract with Somerset in protest at the way his friends Viv Richards and Garner had been treated and promptly joined Worcestershire.

In November 1988, while on tour of Australia with the West Indies, Viv Richards became the first West Indies player to reach 100 first-class centuries by scoring 101 against New South Wales.

Viv Richards remains the only West Indies player to achieve this milestone, and among non-England qualified players only Don Bradman scored more first-class centuries than Viv Richards's 114.

Viv Richards returned to county cricket for the 1990 season towards the end of his career to play for Glamorgan, helping them to win the AXA Sunday League in 1993.

Viv Richards is a commentator on BBC's Test Match Special.

Viv Richards participated in Prince Edward of the United Kingdom's 1987 charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament.

Viv Richards was featured in the 2010 documentary movie Fire in Babylon and spoke about his experiences playing for the West Indies.

Viv Richards joined the Delhi Daredevils as their mentor in The Indian Premier League in 2013, and mentored the Quetta Gladiators in the 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020, and 2022 Pakistan Super League.

Quiet and self-contained away from the pitch, Viv Richards was a very powerful right-handed batsman with an extremely attacking style, "possibly the most destructive batsman the sport has ever seen".

Viv Richards was an excellent fielder and a more than competent off-spin bowler.

Viv Richards 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.

Viv Richards 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.

Viv Richards was notorious for punishing bowlers that dared to sledge him, so much so, that many opposing captains banned their players from the practice.

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

Viv Richards scored 5 centuries in World Series Cricket between 1977 and 1979.

Viv Richards won 27 of 50 matches as a Test captain, and lost only 8.

Viv Richards is the scorer of the equal second fastest-ever Test century, from just 56 balls against England in Antigua during the 1986 tour.

In 1994, Viv Richards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to cricket.

In 2022, during the opening ceremony of the forty-third regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, Viv Richards was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community, the highest honour that can be conferred upon a Caribbean national.

In 2000, Viv 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 Viv Richards was the best ever batsman against genuine fast bowling.

Viv Richards topped the rankings at the end of the years 1976,1977,1980,1981,1982,1983 and 1986.

Viv Richards was voted the greatest cricketer since 1970 in a poll, ahead of Ian Botham and Shane Warne.

In 2006, in a study done by a team of ESPN's Cricinfo magazine, Viv Richards was again chosen as the greatest ODI Batsman ever.

Some writers contend that Viv Richards played international football for Antigua and Barbuda, appearing in qualifying matches for the 1974 World Cup.

Viv Richards had a brief relationship with Indian actress Neena Gupta, with whom he has a daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta.