Test Profile (Part 1) 1970s.
The boy soprano who sang for Queen Elizabeth in Antigua's cathedral in 1966 cast an envious eye over the next door cricket ground. Young Viv Richards was known to skip church to play cricket, but he had no excuse that day. By the age of 17 he was playing for Antigua and captained them at both cricket and soccer. Such was his talent he was sent for coaching in England and joined Somerset for 1974, flying in to England with compatriot Andy Roberts who was going to Hampshire. That winter he joined the West Indies team in India and made 192 not out in his second Test in Delhi. He made his mark in the 1975 World Cup final as a fielder, with three run outs. In Australia in 1975-76, when West Indies lost 5-1, he scored 101 and 98 as an opening batsman, the start of an incredible 1976 which established him as the greatest batsman in the world and probably the best since Bradman. First India came to the Caribbean, and he made 142 in Bridgetown, 130 in Trinidad and 177 in a second match on the same ground. That was just a preliminary to his England tour: 232 at Edgbaston, 135 at Old Trafford and 291 at the Oval. Naturally he was one of the biggest stars of World Series Cricket, making centuries at unlikely venues like Football Park in Adelaide, the Sydney Showground and Gloucester Park, Perth, where at one stage he and his South African namesake Barry were at the wicket for the World XI with the score at 461 for one. In the 1979 World Cup he made 138 not out against England in the final (the photo above shows Viv celebrating his century), turning the match round in partnership with Collis King. (Bob Harragan).
Viv Richards pictured playing for The West Indies on May 30th. 1980. Photo George Herringshaw.
Test Profile (Part 2) 1980-84.
By the
1980s Viv Richards was firmly established as the public face of cricket
in most parts of the world. The "Master Blaster" they called him. His
exploits in Australia were important in establishing the popularity of
floodlit cricket, just as his dominating innings for Somerset brought in
the crowds in English domestic cricket. For Richards could perform
brilliantly on both the Test and ODI stage. One of his greatest
performances was in the ODI against England in Manchester in 1984. West
Indies were variously 89 for five, 102 for seven and 166 for nine. At
each of those stages an England victory looked certain. Richards and
Michael Holding added 106 for the last wicket, Richards scoring 90 of
them and ending up 189 not out. On his return from World Series in
1979-80 he immediately made 134 against Australia in Brisbane, followed
by 96 in Melbourne and two 70s in Adelaide. Against England he made 145
at Lord's in 1980 and 182 not out in Bridgetown and 114 in Antigua in
1981. There was 178 against Australia in Antigua in 1983-84, 208 at
Melbourne in 1984-85, plus more centuries against India and England. In
the 1983 World Cup he made 119 against India at the Oval, 95 not out
against Australia at Lord's and 80 not out against Pakistan in the
semi-final. Only a brilliant catch by Kapil Dev cut him off at 33 in the
final and gave India the trophy. (Bob Harragan)
This shot of Viv Richards was taken on Saturday, May 21th. 1988 by George Herringshaw. ©
Test Profile (Part 3) 1985-91.
Viv
Richards inherited the West Indies captaincy from Clive Lloyd when New
Zealand toured the Caribbean in 1985. Some of the greats had ended their
careers and others were ageing, but West Indies were still far too
strong for the other Test-playing nations. Viv moved himself from number
three to number five in the order, but was still a major force. He made
105 against New Zealand at Bridgetown and his 110 not out against
England in Antigua in 1986 was the fastest Test century ever seen at the
time. He made 109 not out in Delhi in 1987-88 to set up a five wicket
win over India and 123 against Pakistan at Port of Spain in 1988. He was
not making the weight of runs he once did, but, like a good captain,
would often weigh in with the important innings at a vital time. He made
80 at Trent Bridge in 1988 and 146 at Perth in 1988-89. There was 110
against India in Jamaica in 1989, but his best score against England in
1990 was his 70 at Bridgetown. By the time Australia came to West Indies
in 1990 Viv had shaved his head: The "no options" hairstyle he called
it, but it brought him a new lease of life. In England in 1991 he scored
73 at Headingley, 63 at Lord's, 80 at Trent Bridge and 60 at the Oval.
He inspired his new county, Glamorgan, to their first trophy for 24
years. In the World Cup of 1987 Richards made 181 against Sri Lanka in
Karachi and 67 against Pakistan on the same ground. He had hoped to bow
out of international cricket in the World Cup of 1992, but inexplicably
the West Indies selectors would not give him a place under the captaincy
of Richie Richardson. (Bob Harragan)