Viv Richards
Antiguan cricketer, West Indies batter and captain, knighted in 1999.
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He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters of all time, usually batting at number three for a dominant West Indies team.[1] The Antiguan former cricketer Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, whose birth date is 7 March 1952, played for the West Indies from 1974 until 1991.[1]
Life and work
In 2000 he was voted one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Century.[2] Richards's parents were Malcolm and Gretel Richards, and he was born in St. John's, Antigua.[3] The year 1974 saw Richards's first Test match appearance, playing against India, with Gordon Greenidge also making his debut in that game.[4] From 1976 through 1983, Richards achieved his highest level of performance, maintaining a Test batting average of 66.51.[4]
A pterygium condition in 1984 required eye surgery for Richards, which subsequently impaired his vision and his batting reflexes.[4] Between 1984 and 1991, Richards served as captain for the West Indies in 50 Test matches, securing 27 victories while suffering only 8 defeats.[5][6] No other West Indies captain has ever completed a Test series without a loss, a record held solely by Richards.[5] Accumulating 8,540 runs across 121 Test matches at a 50.23 average, Richards concluded his career as the West Indies' top run-scorer.[7][6]
A knighthood was conferred upon Richards in 1999 for his cricket achievements.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Michael Holding rates West Indies hero Viv Richards as the best batsman in history – Metro", Metro.co.Uk}}{{Dead link, February 2026; David Foot, "Viv Richards", Hamilton, 1987, p. 13; "Jeff Thomson's spell at Barbados in 1978 was the fastest I've seen: Tony Cozier", Cricket Country, 7 August 2013; "Stats from the Past: The best ODI batsmen from across eras | Highlights | Cricinfo Magazine", ESPN Cricinfo; "Stats analysis: Viv Richards | Specials | Cricinfo Magazine", ESPN Cricinfo; "Viv Richards- The greatest ODI bats en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Antiguan government bestows knighthood on Vivian Richards (4 January 1999)", ESPNcricinfo; "Richards, Gilmour top Wisden ODI list", rediff.com, 15 February 2002; "Tendulkar second-best ever: Wisden", rediff.com, 14 December 2002; Cricinfo, "ICC and FICA launch Cricket Hall of Fame", ESPNcricinfo, 2 January 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McDonald (1984), pp. 25–6. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Staff Reporter, "Lara's vision blurry", The Mail & Guardian, 18 August 2000; "Viv Richards profile by Mike Selvey", ESPNcricinfo (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cricinfo – Within the laws but against the spirit", Content-uk.cricinfo.com; ; Martin-Jenkins, p. 68. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Test matches – Batting records – Fastest hundreds", ESPNCricinfo (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Viv Richards" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sengupta, "Vivian Richards: The most feared and devastating batsman in history", Cricket Country, 11 March 2013; "In a league of his own", ESPNcricinfo (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Viv Richards (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Viv Richards (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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