What made Viv Richards special?

[archie mac]

Great to see SJS back posing in CC

Cardus wanted Trumper to score a 100 out of an Australian total of 120 (can't recall the exact quote) so his hero would do well but England would still win.

I felt like that when Richards batted against the Aussies. You wanted him out because he could change the match in just a couple of hours no matter the condtions or the bowlers. Most of the time the only way it seemed possible to dismiss Richards was if he made a mistake.

On the other hand you wanted to see him score runs because you knew no one else was ever going to score runs in the same manner. He refused to be tied down and seemed to take it personally if a bowler beat him. if this happened you were sure the next ball would be a four or six, he simply refused to give ground. He said this was one of the reasons he never wore a helmet.

Merv summed it up when he said he was sometimes scared to bowl to Viv as he drove the ball back so hard he felt he may be killed. There is a pic of Dickie Bird waving a white hankie (hanky?) towards a grinning Richards after one of his drives had just flown past the umpires head before he could even duck. As modern bats have more and more power I wonder just how quick the ball would travel off his blade

 

[hang on]

appreciate the considered responses from those who have watched him. yes, he was a marvel of a batsman in his pomp.

and yes, the stroke of his that remains etched in my memory even now is the step to leg to carve through and over cover. and the nonchalant whip through midwicket square leg from outside off.

 

[hang on]

Merv summed it up when he said he was sometimes scared to bowl to Viv as he drove the ball back so hard he felt he may be killed. There is a pic of Dickie Bird waving a white hankie (hanky?) towards a grinning Richards after one of his drives had just flown past the umpires head before he could even duck. As modern bats have more and more power I wonder just how quick the ball would travel off his blade

quite. though i think that greenidge, fredericks and lloyd all hit the ball harder. it's just that they did not quite hit so straight so often.

 

[Daemon]

This thread should have been created after the BOTC

 

[Faisal1985]

It was the devastation he caused, along with that awesome style, that makes him my favorite batsman of all-time. Don’t go by the average; if there is ever a case of the stats not telling the whole story, it is this. He could pick apart the best bowlers of his day. What’s more, he had a demoralizing effect on the opposition that IMHO is unmatched in any batsmen of his generation or since. Since he relied on his instincts and that great hand-eye coordination, his average took a hit when age caught up with him. When so many former players and journalists rate him as highly as they do, I think one can conclude there was more to King Viv than the story the stats are telling.

There is another one as well....

 

[nick-o]

. , ,

The next series in England should have shut all of us for all time to come.

In just four test matches, Richards scored 829 runs in the series starting off with 232 at trent Bridge and signing off with 291 at the Oval. He averaged 118 plus for the series.

. . .

Watched every ball of it on TV; as SJS says, it shut us all up. Never seen anything like it before or since.

That was the Tony Greig "grovel" series; it wasn't just about cricket. It was probably the most politically-laden series since Bodyline, and he wiped the floor with us -- it wasn't just victory, it was annihilation.

The reason he is "King" Viv is that not only did he do it, but he did it when it meant the most.

As for the damage to his stats due to playing on too long, I respect him for that: his drive to win, to give what he could for his team, was all that mattered. So what if his average dipped as a result?

 

[adub]

As SJS noted it was the fear (of being owned) that he was able to instill in opposition teams and supporters. You always knew the odds were good on Lara or Tendulkar making a big score against you, but you never FEARED it like when Viv strode out. He was captivating and you hated and loved him at the same time. You never celebrated a wicket like when you got Viv out. That famous evening when Lillee got him at the MCG on the last ball of the day wasn't special because Lillee was bowling like a god, or because the Windies were in strife. It was special because we got VIV! I reckon the whole nation roared at that moment. It was Hector defeating Achillies - just massive. Much bigger than a Warne getting Lara or a McGrath getting Tendulkar. Stunning cricketer and the best batsman I've seen. Truly Godlike presence.

 

[ankitj]

For those who have seen both Viv and Sehwag, how does that fear of being ****ed compare for the two? Pretty sure it exists in case of Sehwag too.

 

[adub]

For those who have seen both Viv and Sehwag, how does that fear of being ****ed compare for the two? Pretty sure it exists in case of Sehwag too.

It does a little, but I think most times you feel if you bowl nice and tight and don't feed his cut you can control Sehwag. You never felt bowling well would naturally keep Viv quiet. If he was in the mood your good balls would go to the fence just as fast as your bad ones.

 

[smash84]

agree that with Sehwag you always have the feeling that a tight line will keep him quite somewhat

 

[silentstriker]

If that were the case he wouldn't have an sr of run a ball for the past however many years (much higher than Viv). Viv was better because he could do it on any pitch against any bowler. Sehwag needs his type of pitches.

 

[honestbharani]

Viv just had a lot more shots and more variety than Sehwag, I think.. So it was harder to contain him even when you were bowling well and the pitch was doing a bit. At least against the seamers, coz I have heard that Viv was not AS good against spin and based on all I have read, I would end up rating Sehwag as slightly better against spinners. But Viv was just so much better against seamers, I suppose.

 

[Flem274*]

Guys, stop using the word 'rape' to describe a man hitting a six please. That isn't rape, and there are plenty of adjectives that are more tasteful and are much more appropriate.

There has been a bit of talk recently about the use of the word amongst the moderators, so I wouldn't expect everyone to be aware, but for those of you who read this thread, now you are.

 

[ankitj]

AWTA. Always find figurative use of the word a little insensitive and trivializing what is a terrible, terrible thing. I know that's not the intention usually, but is still best avoided.

 

[smash84]

lol

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Become a bit of an unfortunate habit tbh, it's a pretty standard term among people of my age etc. But yeah fair enough really.

 

[smash84]

Viv Richards was a complete genius: Imran Khan | Sport | DAWN.COM

Of all the players in my time, Viv Richards stood out as the greatest. He was a complete genius. Viv was the only batsman who would attack me. No other batsman could attack me when I was at my peak,” the 58-year-old said. “He had amazing reflexes, greater than anyone else. He could destroy any attack, any fast bowler.

It was a gifted ability. He could move into position, so quickly… Just incredible.”

Imran also had high praise for another West Indian great Gary Sobers and Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar, even as he regretted of not bowling to the duo at the peak.

“My first match in the county was his (Sobers) last. I did get him out, but it was not an achievement. When I started everybody had the same regards about him like I said about Viv. I am not in a position to comment on the batsmen whom I didn’t bowl to.”

 

[smash84]

originally posted by Sanz here on CW but written by Imran Khan in 1993.

Here is Imran Khan on Viv Richards

| Cricket News | Global | ESPN Cricinfo

"The bigger the oc- casion, the more he loved it. The more demanding the occasion, the harder he tried. And often, when there were no challenges, he would entertain the crowd and get out rather than play to im- prove his average. This is why, for me, statistics are meaningless. They can nev- er reflect the true genius of Viv Richards. Had he wanted, he could easily have scored twice as many Test runs as he did. There were times when his 60s and 70s were far more useful to his team than big 100s scored by others."

 

[Flem274*]

The above quote makes Richards sound like a chump tbh. It's probably wrong though, thankfully.

"Could have scored twice as many test runs if he wanted to."

Doesn't make Richards look a **** at all. Thankfully, it's hyperbole.

 

[smash84]

of course one can get carried away with the praise but you get the point