Vivian Richards
About
Vivian Richards, regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, is a retired cricketer who represented the West Indies on test and international levels. He is currently a commentator on BBC's show ‘Test Match Specials’.
Overall, Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 test matches at an average of 50.23, including 24 centuries. As a captain, he won 27 of 50 test matches and lost only 8.
He also scored nearly 7,000 runs in One Day Internationals and more than 36,000 in first-class cricket. Knighted for his contributions to cricket, today Richards is an occasional cricket commentator and team Mentor.
He was featured in the 2010 documentary movie ‘Fire in Babylon’ where he spoke about his experiences playing for the West Indies.
In 1994, Richards was appointed an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) for services to cricket.
Richards also played International Football for Antigua, having represented them in the qualifying matches for the 1974 World Cup.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
In 2002, he was chosen by Wisden as the ‘Greatest ODI Batsman of all Time’, as well as the ‘Third Greatest Test Batsman of all Time’. He was inducted into the ‘ICC Cricket Hall of Fame’.
He is one of the 4 Non-English batsmen to make 100 first class centuries. In 2000, he was named as one of the ‘5 Wisden Cricketers of the Century’.
Richards became the first batsman to score a Test century at a strike rate of over 150.
He, along with David Foot, wrote an autobiography titled ‘Viv Richards’, in 1979 and published a second autobiography entitled ‘Hitting Across the Line’.
Richards was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community (OOC), the highest honour that can be conferred upon a Caribbean national.
Why Vivian Richards ?
Apart from being an exceptional cricketer he has won many awards for his exceptional contributions in various others during his career. The life story of this young boy who had dreamt of becoming the most successful batsman in the world has inspired many.
