Sir Viv Richards

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	6s	Ct	St
Tests	121	182	12	8540	291	50.23			24	45	84	122	0
ODIs	187	167	24	6721	189*	47.00	7451	90.20	11	45		100	0
First-class	507	796	63	36212	322	49.40			114	162		464	1
List A	500	466	61	16995	189*	41.96			26	109		238	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	121	103	5170	1964	32	2/17	3/51	61.37	2.27	161.5	0	0	0
ODIs	187	131	5644	4228	118	6/41	6/41	35.83	4.49	47.8	1	2	0
First-class	507		23220	10070	223	5/88		45.15	2.60	104.1		1	0
List A	500		12214	8872	290	6/24	6/24	30.59	4.35	42.1	4	3	0

Career statistics

Test debut	India v West Indies at Bangalore, Nov 22-27, 1974 scorecard
Last Test	England v West Indies at The Oval, Aug 8-12, 1991 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut	Sri Lanka v West Indies at Manchester, Jun 7, 1975 scorecard
Last ODI	England v West Indies at Lord's, May 27, 1991 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span	1971-1993
List A span	1973-1993

Recent matches

Bat & Bowl	Team	Opposition	Ground	Match Date	Scorecard
-	WI Masters	v Eng Masters	Bridgetown	30 Nov 2009	Other T20
1	WI Masters	v SL Masters	Bridgetown	27 Nov 2009	Other T20

Profile

You knew when he was coming. The outgoing batsman would already have disappeared into the pavilion, and the expectation of what was to follow filled the air. Viv kept you waiting... time to ponder. Then he appeared, sauntering, swaggering, arms windmilling slowly. He would take guard, and then, head tilted back slightly and cudding his gum, he would walk a few paces down the pitch to tap it while looking the bowler in the eye. It was calculated menace and magnificent theatre from arguably the most devastating batsman of all time.

How to bowl to him? Get him to the other end, perhaps. Hold your nerve, do not take what might follow as personal. Occasionally he was vulnerable early on if his desire to dominate overwhelmed him. But he had no weakness until his eyesight infinitesimally but inevitably started to let him down and those eye shots became harder.

His strengths were on the front foot. So far forward could he get that he was able to plant that left foot outside the line of off stump, at once eliminating lbw and creating his own leg stump line from where he would flick bowlers relentlessly through midwicket. Or he might send a similar ball skimming through extra cover. Straighten the ball down the line of the stumps and the bowler stood a chance, but he rarely missed and they ran a terrible risk.

His power was awesome, he hooked devastatingly and never wore a helmet, rocking back from his front-foot base to take the ball from his eyeline in front of square. Occasionally, for no apparent reason, he would block an over in immaculate fashion, seemingly in defensive position before the ball had left the bowler's hand. Then, refreshed, off he would go again.
Mike Selvey October 2004