Sir Viv Richards is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Along with Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Shane Warne, he was voted as one of the five Cricketer of the Century by a panel of 100 members in 2000. Nowadays, he is an occasional cricket commentator and team mentor.
| Nickname: | Viv |
| Profession: | Former Cricketer (WI-Batsmen) |
| Biography | |
| Autobiography: | Sir Vivian: The Definitive Autobiography |
| Biopic: | NA |
| Physical Appearance | |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
| Weight (approx.): | 80 kg |
| Eye Colour: | Black |
| Hair Colour: | Black |
| Tattoos: | NA |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth: | 7 March 1952 |
| Age | 71 years |
| Birth Place: | St. John’s, British Leeward Islands |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign: | Pisces |
| Nationality: | Antiguan |
| School: | St. John’s Boys School, Antigua Grammar School |
| College: | NA |
| Educational Qualifications: | NA |
| Signature: |  |
- Richards made his debut for Windies team against India at the age of 22.
- He scored an unbeaten 192 in his second test game
- In the year 1976, Viv scored 1710 runs in 11 Tests and it stood as a World record for most runs scored in a calendar year.
- Viv is the only West Indian skipper who has never lost a test match in the home as well as away.
- Richards joined Delhi Daredevils as their mentor in the IPL 2013 edition. He was also a mentor in PSL.
- He can be frequently heard on BBC’s Test Match Specials
- Viv once refused a blank cheque offer to feature in a rebel West Indies squad in South Africa during 1983 and 1984
- 2010 documentary Fire in Babylon featured Viv speaking about his experiences of playing for Windies
| Family | |
|---|---|
| Father: | Malcolm Richards (Antigua’s leading fast bowler) |
| Mother: | Gretel Richards |
| Sister: | NA |
| Brother: | Mervyn and Donald |
| Coach/Mentor: | His father and Pat Evanson (at the young age) |
| Religion: | Christian |
| Address: | NA |
Cricket Career |
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|---|---|
| International Debut: | |
| Test: | vs India on 22 November 1974 |
| ODI: | vs Sri Lanka on 7 June 1975 |
| T20: | NA |
| Jersey Number: | NA |
| Domestic/State Team: | Somerset, Glamorgan, Queensland, Leeward Islands, Combined Islands |
| Nature on field: | Calm |
| Likes to play against: | India and Australia |
| Favourite Shot/Ball: |
Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards was born on 7th March 1952 in St. John’s, Antigua. His family included his parents Malcolm and Gretel Richards and three brothers Donald, Mervyn and David Richards (no brother named David)1. His father was a leading fast bowler of Antigua while two of his brothers too played cricket and represented Antigua as amateurs.
For his education, he went to St. John’s Boys Primary School and later attended Antigua Grammar Secondary School on a scholarship. Thereafter, he left school and joined St. John’s Cricket Club. Earlier, he practised cricket with his father and Pat Evanson who had formerly captained the Antiguan team.
While playing at St. John’s CC, Viv Richards worked at D’Arcy’s Bar and Restaurant to support himself financially. The owner backed his cricket aspirations and gifted him cricket gears and other accessories when he joined the club.
Records |
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- First ever cricketer to achieve 20 Man of the Match awards in ODI history
- He has taken 5-wickets haul twice in ODI
- He is the first player to score a 50 and take the 5-wicket haul in the same ODI and is also the first player to score a century and take 5-wicket haul in the same ODI
- He became the first batsman to score a century with a strike rate of 150 in 1986
- He was the first batsman to score the fastest century in test cricket (56 balls) in 1986
- He was the fastest batsman to score 1000 ODI runs (21 innings)
- He has set the record for the highest ever 10th wicket partnership with Michael Holding in ODIs
- He also has a record of the highest individual score at no.4 (189*)
- He remains one of only four non-English cricketers (Donal Bradman, Glenn Turner, and Zaheer Abbas) to have scored 100 first-class centuries
| Career Turning Point: | While playing for Rising Sun Cricket Club he showed an impressive talent and was noticed by Len Creed- Vice Chairman of Somerset CC. |
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| Preferences | |
|---|---|
| Hobbies: | Relaxing on beaches, fishing, listening to music |
| Favourite Batsmen: | Sachin Tendulkar |
| Favourite Bowlers: | Wasim Akram |
| Favourite Cricket Ground: | NA |
| Favourite sports personalities: | NA |
| Favourite Food: | Pepper Pot cooked by his mother & Caribbean Cuisine |
| Favourite Actors: | NA |
| Favourite Films: | NA |
| Favourite Musicians/Singers: | Bob Marley |
| Favourite Destinations: | Antiguan beaches (365 beaches, 1 for each day) |
| Smoking/Alcohol: | NA/Yes |
| Social Media | |
| Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/officiallyvivian/ | |
| Facebook:https://web.facebook.com/ivivianrichards |