Isacc Vivian Alexander Richards is one of the charismatic and talented batsmen ever to play cricket. Born in St John’s, Antigua in 1952, Vivian’s cricketing talents blossomed at a very early age. The ’’Master Blaster’’ had a carefree approach with great self-confidence and his batting strength was colossal. He was an attacking player with breath-taking aggression and he never took time to demolish any kind of bowling. His stroke play was a treat to watch and his footwork was dexterous. His judgement of the line and length of deliveries was thoroughly quick and he used to execute very special shots all around the wicket. With a muscular build, astute reflexes and hawk-like concentration, he demonstrated his batting prowess throughout the cricket world.
He played his maiden test in 1974-75 series with India at Bangalore. In the second test at New Delhi, he scored a scintillating unbeaten century with 192 glorious runs. He smashed the formidable Indian spin attack and hit 6 sixes all over the ground in his cavalier innings, a very memorable one for many years to come. He inherited a very strong West Indian team from Clive Lloyd and he won many matches with his shrewd and masterminded captaincy. He continued his batting magic with every test cricket-playing nation. With 24 hundreds and 45 half centuries, he was second only to Sir Garfield Sobers. He was associated with many record-breaking partnerships. One of his most memorable batting displays was in 1985-86 home series at Antigua against England, when he scored his hundred in 56 balls in 81 minutes. The maestro smote 7 sixes in that magical innings, sending the fielders to run helter-skelter in search of the ball, and making the bowlers exhausted of their ideas.
When the days of one-day cricket dawned, Vivian Richards transformed him to suit the requirements of the game. He amassed 6721 runs in 187 one-dayers with 118 wickets and 101 catches. He stamped himself as one of the greatest players in one-day games. His fielding was superb, very agile and a feast to the eyes. In the 1975 world cup in England, his match winning fielding earned him many laurels. In the finals, he was instrumental for the brilliant run outs of the Chappel brothers, paving the way to win the world cup.
In 1997, Vivian Richards was chosen the Wisden Cricketer of the Year
West Indies team greatly depended on him in emergent situations, which he surmounted with utmost ability and led his team to thumping victories. His presence in the team was that of a supreme commander who directed his crew with devout sincerity and authority. Vivian Richards will remain a legend in cricket and will inspire the younger generation throughout the world, because he always believed that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going....