Wow hadn't seen that before, and considering all the other bats were pretty good themselves, Bacchus excepted perhaps, that's 1 run from 34 deliveries from everyone else off the bat and 32 from 22 from King Viv, a man amongst men.
he literally did not do that.
90% of fans of Viv's is as ridiculous an overstatement as saying Viv would have averaged 70, it's all nonsense hyperbole. like a black fly in your chardonnay...
Imran wasn't alone in that kind of hyperbole about Viv. Dennis Lillee & Michael Holding were just as effusive as Imran in their praise of Viv. In his last book, while rating Viv as the best batsman he bowled to, Lillee writes - “For sheer ability to rip an attack apart, animal brutality, and having no fear in taking you on, I have to put Viv Richards on top of the list [of the best batsmen bowled to]. I just loved bowling against the man. I enjoyed it because it was such a challenge and I regarded him as one of the supreme players if not the supreme player. Viv was like a heavyweight fighter, whatever came his way. he would take it on, fighting fire with fire.”
True. A lot of us lapse into hyperbole when reminiscing Viv's batting. In Viv's case though, several renowned cricketers of his own era (Botham, Lillee, Imran, Holding, Andy Roberts, Barry Richards, Dessie Haynes, Ravi Shastri & several more), as well as of the next era (Lara, Tendulkar, Inzamam, Aravinda De Silva, Mohammed Azharuddin etc.) are just as guilty (of lapsing into hyperbole), as are biggest of Viv's armchair fanboys. This probably helps in perpetuating the myth.
Easy to say that now. If you were there, you probably would have done the same thing as well. What was particularly discouraging for Lancashire was Viv didn't look hurried or impulsive while playing his shots off Patterson, or while letting Patterson's deliveries whizz past him. It wasn't like Viv was wildly flailing away at everything like a maniac, he looked to be in reasonable control.
this is one of the most drivel posts I’ve readImran wasn't alone in that kind of hyperbole about Viv. Dennis Lillee & Michael Holding were just as effusive as Imran in their praise of Viv. In his last book, while rating Viv as the best batsman he bowled to, Lillee writes - “For sheer ability to rip an attack apart, animal brutality, and having no fear in taking you on, I have to put Viv Richards on top of the list [of the best batsmen bowled to]. I just loved bowling against the man. I enjoyed it because it was such a challenge and I regarded him as one of the supreme players if not the supreme player. Viv was like a heavyweight fighter, whatever came his way. he would take it on, fighting fire with fire.”
True. A lot of us lapse into hyperbole when reminiscing Viv's batting. In Viv's case though, several renowned cricketers of his own era (Botham, Lillee, Imran, Holding, Andy Roberts, Barry Richards, Dessie Haynes, Ravi Shastri & several more), as well as of the next era (Lara, Tendulkar, Inzamam, Aravinda De Silva, Mohammed Azharuddin etc.) are just as guilty (of lapsing into hyperbole), as are biggest of Viv's armchair fanboys. This probably helps in perpetuating the myth.
Maybe if there was a Gilchrist or a Sehwag in that era (with the same success that they had in their careers in 2000s), then probably Viv would have been worshiped less.
Easy to say that now. If you were there, you probably would have done the same thing as well. What was particularly discouraging for Lancashire was Viv didn't look hurried or impulsive while playing his shots off Patterson, or while letting Patterson's deliveries whizz past him. It wasn't like Viv was wildly flailing away at everything like a maniac, he looked to be in reasonable control.
IIRC former English batsman Neil Fairbrother, who was playing for Lancs in that match, recalled that particular innings of Viv reasoning why he still considered Viv above Lara (it was in mid-2000s, the question was put to Fairbrother after Lara broke some significant batting landmark). Fairbrother said something like "Patto was bowling at the speed of sound, but Viv just stood there and smashed him. It was unbelievable to see". As usual hyperbole about Viv yet again ?
BTW, I don't agree with Fairbrother, I definitely put Lara above Viv. But because I saw Viv bat live, I can understand where people like Fairbrother etc. are coming from.
I wasn't suggesting that at all. Believe me, to me, Viv was actually really that ****ing good.
Issue is we can say the exact same about Virender Shewag, who incidentally averages very similar to Viv, probably a SR 10 - 15% higher. But Shewag is termed as rash, complacent and throwing it away instead of "bored".
Ooh yes people will enjoy this comparison.
No, we can't. How many international cricketers have called Sehwag the best batsman they have ever seen?
You think Sehwag was complacent about his team being so good it could beat everyone, everywhere when it literally didn't and couldn't?
Almost all cricketers rate him with Sidhu as the best ever player of spin to walk on the planet earth. And Yes, it IS a big thing.
Shewag knew that his team would wallop anyone at home. Still he got "bored" and got out.
Jadeja is not yet an "elite" spinner. Let's wait till he finishes the career.
KP?
TBF he said "elite spinners"
