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Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Viv Simply the Best by Stephen Richards Why Everybody Wanted to Be ‘King of Cool’ Viv Richards Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Viv Simply The Best by Stephen Richards Why everybody wanted to be ‘King of Cool’ Viv Richards. For the West Indian great, little seemed to faze him. He’d hook a bouncer off the nose on his helmetless head so easily bowlers would wish they’d never got out of bed. He’d chew his gum, adjust the chain around his neck and settle his broad shoulders over his hefty bat before looking past the umpire at the next fool to try his luck. If I’m honest, Viv was my man crush. Watching him swagger, chew and never flinch was genuine cricket porn. I imagined him at a bar, resting on his elbow, a rum punch in one hand as a crowd of beauties were swatted away as if they were Derek Pringle half volleys. The bloke, I imagined, could pull at will – again, ask a Pringle long hop. I’m not the only lad that gazed in awe at a man that should have been the enemy. As a young English kid, hoping my team would win, Richards ensured they didn’t. But he was the man I pretended to be when I stood in front of a mirror and made clicking noises as the hapless Pringle was sent to all corners of the bedroom. In school matches there was little point trying to emulate the coolest of Caribbean cricketers. A skinny little white kid with an upturned collar and buttons undone to his navel would have been a laughing stock. You can’t be calypso cool if you desperately want to fit in. Richards combined indifference and a steely stare that made him different to anything I had ever seen. On the pitch, amidst countless heroics, two feats live long in the memory. England the opposition, Old Trafford the venue for a 1984 One Day International, in a summer of utter West Indies domination. And yet England had their foe on the ropes, at 102 for seven in the 26th over. With hindsight, that was the home nation’s mistake. Richards took it as a personal insult that his team were capitulating and singlehandedly sorted it, in what is surely the greatest one-day innings of all time. Richards would eventually leave the field with an unbeaten 189 to his name. He’d bludgeoned, battered and bullied an increasingly desperate attack for 21 fours and 5 sixes. And, in his last wicket partnership of 108 with Michael Holding, the number 11 contributed only 12 to the final total of 272 for nine. Holding and Eldine Baprise (28) were the only men to reach double figures. Needless to say, England never recovered and lost by 104 runs. It was magnificent. The other memory, quicker and over in a flash. Mike Hendrick plods in, the ball is an attempted Yorker which ends up a low full toss on off stump, Richards, takes a step across to off and flicks his Duncan Fearnley Magnum across his pads. It was stroke that should be the dictionary definition of distain, picking up the final ball of the innings and depositing it into the crowd. It took his score to 138 not out in the 1979 World Cup Final triumph against England. Some batsmen have been as good. Virat Kohli leads the current pack, yet he always appears on the verge of wanting to fight someone. Richards never did, although you’d have backed him to swat aside anyone that had the temerity to try his patience. Kohli, and many others, wear their hearts on their sleeves far too much to be regarded as cool. Others down the years could be inked in to the Richards’ category. Many of them also from the Caribbean, where the languid limbs and laid-back lifestyle sit beneath a sun that warms the sea and chills the blood. Cool Cats XI: 1. Gordon Greenidge (West Indies) 2. Brendan McCullum (New Zealand, wk) 3. Viv Richards (West Indies, captain) 4. Mark Waugh (Australia) 5. Martin Crowe (New Zealand) 6. Robin Smith (England) 7. Craig White (England) 8. Imran Khan (Pakistan) 9. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) 10. Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) 11. Michael Holding (West Indies) Apologies to cool cricketer everywhere that have missed selection. It’s probably one category where those wrongly omitted, by definition, won’t kick up too much of a fuss. Sir Viv Richards. One of the most recognisable and famous players to have ever graced the game, Sir Viv Richards is a former West Indian cricketer who left a remarkable legacy on the game. Widely regarded as the most destructive batsman the sport has ever seen , Richards changed the face of cricket becoming one of the first batsman to dominate bowling and his calm and assured manner entwined with a steely determination made him a great crowd favourite and an intimidating prospect for opposition bowlers all over the world. Still renowned as one of the most exciting and devastating batsman of all time Richards had an incredible aura and ‘swagger’ that he become notorious for and was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century . The epitome of the an icon , Sir Viv Richards is one of the most sought after cricket speakers in the world and his charismatic performances are forever leaving a lasting impression on guests. Playing over 100 Test Matches and almost 200 One Day Internationals for the West Indies and also captained his nation for a number of years during which time he lead the team to winning more than half of their matches. A cult figure in world cricket , Sir Viv Richards was named the greatest ODI Player of all time by Wisden and the 3rd greatest batsman of all time. Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches at an average over 50 , including 24 centuries and entered a very select group of players as a result of his achievements. Richards was selected in the Wisden All-Time Test Match XI for his exploits in the longer format of the game and his First Class career yielded over 36,000 runs and included a staggering 114 centuries. The first batsman to score a Test century at a strike rate of over 150 and the former record holder for the fastest Test hundred of all time , during his work as a cricket speaker Richards speaks about his career in Test cricket and recollects the highlights and performances that led to his incredible reputation. A spectacular performer in Test Cricket , Richards was arguably even more prolific in One Day International and changed the way the game was played forever. An incredibly aggressive batsman who dominated bowlers and struck fear into the opposition, Richards diverse and dynamic stroke play led to him enjoying one of the greatest limited over careers of all time. The fastest batsman to score 1,000 ODI runs taking just 21 innings to achieve the feat, Richards also became the first player ever to score a half century and take a five wicket haul in an ODI match and went one further to become the first player ever to score a century and take a five wicket haul in an ODI . Scoring almost 7,000 runs in One Day International cricket including a magnificent career best 189 not out which was selected the greatest ODI innings of all time and he became the first player to complete the double of scoring 1000 runs and taking 50 wickets in ODI history. Voted the greatest ODI batsman ever , as a cricket speaker Sir Viv Richards reminisces on his special career that transformed cricket forever and expresses his mindset towards the game that was integral to him becoming such a prolific player . A true legend of the game, Sir Viv Richards has a stadium named after him and has also been knighted for his service to the game of cricket. Heralded as the greatest batsman many have ever seen and garnering praise, plaudits and adulation from his peers, pundits and supporters around the world, Richards is an occasionally works as a commentator and has also been a team mentor in both the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League . A real gentleman despite his fame and stardom, Sir Viv is the idol of many cricketers around the world and will forever be remembered as a pioneer of the game. Sir Viv Richards is available to hire as a cricket speaker for any event, dinner or function and is certain to be a fantastic addition to any occasion. When he’s at corporate events, Viv is known to cover the following topics: Viv Richards. India donated 40,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Antigua and Barbuda and 80,000 vaccines to Guyana under the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative. Ajay Pal Singh | Sunday March 7, 2021. West Indies legend Viv Richards celebrated his 69th birthday on Sunday and he was greeted by a special wish from Virat Kohli. Asian News International | Monday March 1, 2021. India vs England: West Indies great Vivian Richards said India should prepare for the fourth Test a pitch similar to the one they got in the third, adding England should stop "moaning and groaning" about pitches and get out of comfort zone. Asian News International | Tuesday June 2, 2020. Ian Smith reckons Vivian Richards would have made more money than Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes combined in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Written by Ajay Pal Singh | Sunday May 3, 2020. Ravi Shastri took a trip down memory lane and posted nostalgic pictures with former West Indies legends. Akash Khanna | Saturday December 7, 2019.
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