Many a great batter has emerged in the years since West Indies legend Viv Richards ended his illustrious international career in 1991. And yet, those who have watched him play live, and even those who have only been able to experience his career through grainy highlight reels and both verbal and written stories, tend not to argue when someone puts Richards above the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and other great batters that have followed him.
An example of why this is the case could be seen exactly 40 years ago at Old Trafford in England. It was the first ODI of West Indies’ nearly four-month long tour of England. It included three ODI matches, five Test matches and a plethora of tour games, as was the norm in those days.
West Indies captain Clive Lloyd won the toss and chose to bat first. The pitch provided prodigious turn for the spinners and Geoff Miller used that to the full. He picked three wickets as England reduced West Indies to 166/9. Richards was the recognised batter at one end and fast bowler Michael Holding at the other and there was still more than 14 overs left in the 55-overs-a-side match. The pair added a whopping 106 runs for the last wicket with Richards’ share being 93. West Indies’ innings ended on 272/9.
