Viv Richards blooms on big stage by AFP

---

Event:

ICC World Cup 2006/07

---

DateLine: 23rd February 2007

 

The West Indies were lucky to find Viv Richards in devastating form just when they needed a saviour to pull themselves out of trouble in the 1979 World Cup final against England at Lord's.

 

Clive Lloyd's West Indians were tottering at 99-4 after being put in to bat by Mike Brearley and their chances of setting a stiff target looked remote when last specialist batsman Collis King joined Richards at the crease.

 

When Richards walked across the stumps to flick the innings' last ball off paceman Mike Hendrick for his third six, the West Indies had boosted their hopes of defending the title by posting a challenging 286-9.

 

The Antiguan remained unbeaten with 138, smashing three sixes and 11 fours in his 157-ball knock which eventually paved the way for his team's emphatic 92-run victory.

 

He shared a 139-run stand for the fifth wicket with King, who hammered three sixes and 10 fours in his 66-ball 86 for one of the finest knocks of his career.

 

Richards may not have played a big knock before the final, but the occasion brought the best out of him. He was a batsman who always took pride in leaving his mark in a crisis.

 

"He (Richards) will not be contained by any bowling and is a great one for improvising to counter a particular defensive tactic by the opposition," Lloyd said.

 

"He has a complete repertoire of strokes and, with a build like a heavyweight boxer, he gives the ball a tremendous whack. So often he has produced his best for the big occasion."

 

The innings added to Richards's stature and he became one of the most feared batsmen of his era. Neither pace nor spin could unsettle him and he was the key to his team's supremacy for more than a decade.

 

Experts believed that Richards had an uncanny ability to judge the line and length of a delivery earlier than most of his contemporaries and that gave him enough time to play or adjust his shots.

 

Richards was a big asset to his team not only as a batsman, but also as a tidy off-spinner and brilliant fielder. His fielding was the talking point in the 1975 World Cup final when he brought off three run-outs against Australia.

 

He was not finished after having cracked a century against England in the 1979 final as he played a big role in containing the opposition with his off-spin, conceding just 35 in 10 overs.

 

There was never a dull moment when Richards was at the crease, hammering paceman and spinners to various parts of the boundaries with as much ease as chewing a gum.

 

He made his Test debut against India in 1974-75, scoring just four and three at Bangalore. Those doubting his batting credentials were in for a shock when he put Indian attack to the sword in the second Test at Delhi.

 

Richards smashed a brilliant 192 not out, treating the Indian medium-pacers and spinners as if they did not deserve any respect.

 

After that blistering knock, the bowlers' reputation was always under threat till he quit Test cricket in 1991 with 8,540 runs in 121 matches with 24 centuries.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)