Big problem with Viv is if one has watched him bat live at his peak, the psychological impact simply crushes all intellect (method of formulas, averages etc.).
Mike Holding once said when it came to Viv's batting, he would throw the stats book out of the window. Imran Khan too made a similar statement.
It is tough to call if Viv was the greatest overseas player in County cricket. I generally tend to give it to bowlers, particularly fast bowlers, including Viv's own
Somerset-mate Joel Garner, whose almost always have a hand in their team's overall success.
And as others have pointed out, there definitely were other overseas County batsmen with far greater statistical success.
Nevertheless I can't help but reminisce some of Viv's county performances with sheer awe. I swear some of the stuff he pulled off in County cricket....
Viv vs Marshall
Like the Hampshire vs Glamorgan match in 1990. Glamorgan didn't seem to have any chance of winning. The asking rate was way too high. Finally 14 or
15 runs were required in the final over for Glamorgan to win, which was being bowled by who of all bowlers - Malcolm Marshall.
I am telling what followed next just out of my memory, it has been so long so I could be mixing things up.
Viv got to strike in second ball of that over. First ball that Viv faced from Marshall - a good length ball on the off stump - was drilled into the cover boundary
with such power that Robin Smith who was fielding at cover had absolutely no chance to even react as the ball sped through right next to him.
Next ball from Marshall - an angry bouncer - was hooked out of the ground into the gardens of neighboring flats. And the last scoring ball, an attempted yorker
by Marshall, went whistling to the midwicket boundary as Glamorgan won with 2 balls to spare. The crowd went delirious even though their team just lost.
Even Hampshire players were in awe at what just transpired.
Viv vs Sylvester Clarke
Benson & Hedges Cup Finals in 1981 - YouTube highlights video of this match exists. So nothing much to be said about it. It was Somerset vs Surrey.
West Indian Sylvester Clarke was the lead bowler for Surrey. He was a nasty bowler to say the least. Imran Khan called him the scariest bowler he faced.
Dessie Haynes too put Clarke above all West Indian bowlers of 70s and 80s when it came to pure intimidation (not skill, but intimidation). Surrey batted first,
Joel Garner bowled phenomenally well and Surrey was bowled out for less than 200.
As Somerset came into bat, Sylvester Clarke got their opener in the very first over. Within 2 overs, Somerset was 2 wickets down with Viv at the crease.
Both Surrey & Somerset knew if they get Viv, the match would be over. Clarke & Viv also knew it. Clarke tried hard. Viv negotiated Clarke's testy first spell with
caution. He shielded his batting partner from Clarke, and didn't take any unnecessary risks as is his usual wont. In the end Somerset cantered to victory with
Viv scoring 132 of the 190 odd runs Somerset needed. While Viv kept the scoreboard ticking, he didn't unleash until Somerset came to a stable position.
Viv vs Patrick Patterson in 1985
My favorite batting display of Viv in county cricket came in a rather inconsequential match against Lancashire at Bath in 1985. Neil Fairbrother, who was playing
for Lancashire then, remembered this particular match when he was once asked if Lara was a better batsman than Viv since human mind has a tendency to
romanticize and exaggerate the past. Lancashire had Patrick Patterson who by then was easily the quickest bowler in the world. He was seriously quick those years.
Patterson and Viv had some very fiery encounters in their career, and Patterson didn't seem to particularly like Viv. For, as soon as Viv came into bat, Patterson would
almost always go after Viv, and try to "knock his block off". Viv would invariably take him on.
Two overs of Patterson flew away for 33 runs as a series of supersonic bouncers were countered with flat-batted pulls & hooks. And Patterson was taken off the
attack. Once Viv felt the psychological battle was won, he didn't like to hang around too long. He got out stumped a few overs later. It was a low scoring game,
Somerset won the match by an innings (Garner once again bowled beautifully for Somerset).
In Fairbrother's words "Patto was bowling at the speed of sound, and Viv just stood there and smashed him around. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it."
That brief innings of Viv was enough to convince Fairbrother that Viv was the best batsman he ever saw irrespective of what his stats said.
Viv vs Jeff Thomson & Wayne Daniel
There was another fiery encounter of Viv with Jeff Thomson & fellow West Indian Wayne Daniel when Somerset was playing Middlesex. Mike Selvey (then
playing for Middlesex) and Peter Roebuck (then playing for Somerset) have described this battle in great detail several times.
Thommo himself rated it as one of the fastest spells of his life. Mike Selvey said quality of cricket was from another planet as he and other players quickly rushed through
the overs at one end, just to sit back and watch a masterclass unfold at the other end. Thommo & Wayne Daniel rained bombs at a target who answered fire with fire.
In the end, the honors completely laid with Viv, as he finished with 90 odd runs before getting bowled by an innocuous medium pacer
This encounter between Viv and Thommo sadly did not receive as much global attention as their previous encounter in Barbados in 1978 did.
