Why did Barry Richards never play for England?

[Richard]

This magnificent batsman was limited to 4 Tests - and he himself admitted in the early 1980s UIMM that that fact was getting him down, and retired.

So why did he never try a route followed by his countrymen D'Oliveira and Greig, and later on fellow countrymen Lamb, Smith, Smith et al? He played for Hampshire many years, and excelled (though his average for Hants was 10 runs lower than for Natal and 60 lower than for SA, it was still 50.50), so why did he never adopt this land?

Was it the fact that SA's isolation was at first informal? UIMM it's not until the Gleneagles Agreement in 1977(?) that they were formally outlawed, so was it hoped by certain SAfricans that the lack of cricket might end any minute?

Or was Richards merely not so bothered about Test-cricket until later on in life?

 

[BoyBrumby]

The short answer is that I don't know, but as Greig is more-or-less an exact contemporary of Richards and had thrown his lot in with us long before Gleneagles I suspect SA retained little realistic hope of readmittance.

It could just well be he didn't want to play for anyone else.

 

[Burgey]

I think, but can't say for sure, the simplest answer may be the right one.

He didn't want to. maybe he just thought that, having played for the Saffers he would rather always be a Saffer. Just a guess.

Then again, maybe he just couldn't abide batting with Boycott. That would also be a good reason.

 

[Goughy]

Its an interesting question and one I dont really know the answer to.

One would suspect that, given he worked hard on integrating SA cricket that he thought there was a short term (if not immediate) future there.

Maybe it was a financial issue. He was a pretty astute man and maybe he was earning more than he would if he had a long qualifying period.

Maybe he was never approached

And as said above, maybe he didnt want to.

Also, the difference between Grieg, Lamb etc and Richards is that Richards was an SA legend whilst the others were good but hardly the creme of SA cricket. Domestically in SA, Richards would have faced 1000 times the pressure and scorn Grieg did

 

[Lillian Thomson]

He was 25 when the ban came in and at that time they hoped it wouldn't last for too long, so by the time he qualified he could have been approaching his mid-30's (was it 7 years at the time?). Mike Proctor was in a similar position and he had qualified to play for England by 1980 and one of the tabloids put him forward as the next England Captain before Botham was appointed, but he was 34 by then, a similar age to Richards.

 

[wpdavid]

This magnificent batsman was limited to 4 Tests - and he himself admitted in the early 1980s UIMM that that fact was getting him down, and retired.

So why did he never try a route followed by his countrymen D'Oliveira and Greig, and later on fellow countrymen Lamb, Smith, Smith et al? He played for Hampshire many years, and excelled (though his average for Hants was 10 runs lower than for Natal and 60 lower than for SA, it was still 50.50), so why did he never adopt this land?

Was it the fact that SA's isolation was at first informal? UIMM it's not until the Gleneagles Agreement in 1977(?) that they were formally outlawed, so was it hoped by certain SAfricans that the lack of cricket might end any minute?

Or was Richards merely not so bothered about Test-cricket until later on in life?

I suspect your first point has something to do with it - unlike Dolly, Greig, Lamb & the Smiths, Richards did actually play test cricket for SA. I don't know exactly what the qualifying regulation were in the 1970's, but it would make sense if they were much more stringent for those who had previously represented another country. Beyond that, it may just have been unthinkable to the man himself to represent another nation after playing for SA.

He strikes me as an intelligent man, so he must have realised that SA weren't going to be readmitted in the forseeable future, even though he probably knew that the ban wasn't exactly wholeheartedly supported by some of the white countries' cricket boards. The furore over various SA tours (rugby as well as cricket) in the early 1970's had made that almost unthinkable.

 

[social]

Seems to me that Richards was a South African and that was the only country he'd ever thought and hoped of playing for.

Shame the world didnt see more of his gifts but we should respect his integrity.

 

[Poker Boy]

Did he have English parents like Greig, Lamb and KP? If not I think it would have took ten years (they changed that to seven to accomodate Hick IIRC) which meant the earliest he could have played for England was 1980 when he was 34 - and he wasn't playing CC by then anyway. And it's quite possible like Procter, that his heart wouldn't have been in it anyway. Still a top three of him Gooch and Boycott against the pace attack of the Windies of 1980 would have been interesting...I'm actually more surprised Rice didn't consider it as he hadn't played for SA and Rice and Botham in the same team in the mid 80s could have been fun...

 

[Richard]

Did he have English parents like Greig, Lamb and KP?

Really? Never knew that in any case other than Pietersen (who's half-and-half of course).

 

[BoyBrumby]

Did he have English parents like Greig, Lamb and KP? If not I think it would have took ten years (they changed that to seven to accomodate Hick IIRC) which meant the earliest he could have played for England was 1980 when he was 34 - and he wasn't playing CC by then anyway. And it's quite possible like Procter, that his heart wouldn't have been in it anyway. Still a top three of him Gooch and Boycott against the pace attack of the Windies of 1980 would have been interesting...I'm actually more surprised Rice didn't consider it as he hadn't played for SA and Rice and Botham in the same team in the mid 80s could have been fun...

Not sure about that. D'Oliveira arrived in England in 1960, played his first test in 1966 and he had no British antecedents.

Could be different for those with caps for other test nations tho I suppose.

 

[brockley]

Well one thing for sure vaughan jaarsveldt won't play for england like jess ryder,he has told warwickshire to take a hike.

 

[Poker Boy]

Tony Greig had a Scottish father (which counts as British for this purpose) and Lamb's parents were from London (I checked it in Wisden). Lamb did not play in England until 1977 and not in CC till 1978 but was eligable for England from 1982. (when he nade his debut)

 

[Poker Boy]

Well one thing for sure vaughan jaarsveldt won't play for england like jess ryder,he has told warwickshire to take a hike.

SA end quotas and van Jaarsveld gives up his Kolpak status - both in the same week. Coincidence? Not IMO....

 

[TT Boy]

Seems to me that Richards was a South African and that was the only country he'd ever thought and hoped of playing for.

Shame the world didnt see more of his gifts but we should respect his integrity.

Not sure about Barry Richards’s and integrity.

On one hand his was staging a walk off protest in 1971 to draw attention to his countries white supremacist rule, yet throughout his career he financially thrived and exploited the apartheid structures. Evident in the ‘irony of ironies’ were he made a substantial amount of money playing against cricketers of colour for RSA (the rebel tours), in stadiums were people of colour were systematically stopped from attending let alone participating in. Fair play to the guy in that he never made accuses or was apologetic of his countries regime unlike his more esteemed left handed RSA team-mate but I think it would be pushing it to say he was a man of upright integrity - He knew what side the bread was buttered on and his morality came second to that.

In regard to why Richards’s didn’t want to represent England, its just complete guess work to why he never pursued the opportunity for England (or indeed Australia) but one thing is for certain you would have to be woefully naïve or the biggest proponent of Dr. Verwoerd’s ‘labour policy’ to ever think the international community would reaccept South Africa back as it was. And Richards’s comes across as very intelligent man so presumably he was content and his participation in 'World Series Cricket' at least gave Barry a second platform to illustrate his talents to the world, which may have been enough for him at that time.

 

[TT Boy]

SA end quotas and van Jaarsveld gives up his Kolpak status - both in the same week. Coincidence? Not IMO....

That story broke on the rumour mill a few weeks back (before the announcement regarding quotas) and from what I can gather there is a couple of more significant reasons why VB came back to South Africa. But the whole story is a complete disgrace and regardless of his undoubted talent RSA do not need turncoats in a time when they are finally creating a side which is representative of the nation’s diversity.

 

[Goughy]

when they are finally creating a side which is representative of the nation’s diversity.

Is that 1 player per each of the 11 official languages?

 

[Craig]

Is that 1 player per each of the 11 official languages?

Would have some interesting sledges.