Top 30 Viv Richards Quotes

The problem with West Indies cricket is that the talent is there but there is no cohesion. Everybody’s pulling in different directions; the players, the selectors, the management.

You have T20 and that also plays a part in some of the shots batsmen play. You see guys playing the same shots in T20s and Tests and are sometimes lucky to get away with it.

I believe in my race, colour. I never felt inferior to anyone. Maybe that’s why the folks who made me feel that way, may think Vivian Richards is the most arrogant guy on earth, but no. I bat for human beings, equal rights.

Each bowler has his own pride when bowling in the nets but it’s vital that you get ball on bat and then you are ready to use the opportunity when you are out in the middle.

I am thankful that I played the game at a time when the West Indies climbed to heights that have never been repeated.

I won the glare with the bowler every time, because I knew that at some time he was going to have to turn around and go back to his mark.

When you are playing the longer version, there are times when you don’t have to get bat on ball on a regular basis but maybe a good leave outside the off stump can play its part in you surviving and the time that you would like to spend on the crease.

I’ve played in some spectacularly scenic grounds in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but Papua New Guinea in the Seventies was the most remote place I’d been for my cricketing career.

My batting practice would be a guy throwing balls in the way in which I liked it. It was all about getting ball on bat, rather than something whizzing past your ear.

Test matches to me are the caviar compared to the fast food stuff. Having the ability and the constitution to triumph over five days is what it’s all about.

The most important value I’ve taught my children is respect for every creed, colour or race. When we bleed, we bleed the same blood. I’ve always taught my kids never to look down on anyone or to not have anyone look down on them.

When I was growing up, I played a lot of soccer. I always wanted to be a good soccer player.

Sugar Breeze, my favourite restaurant in Antigua, serves the best local food, while my local golf club, Cedar Valley, is where I always go for a drink.

I have four kids with three mums, but I’m very close to them all.

I’m Uncle Viv to Ian Botham’s son, Liam, and I’ve been a sort of mentor to him over the years. I’ve always been there for him and whenever there was an opportunity to see him play sport, I was there.

My dad was assistant governor of the prison, so there were times when he would bring some of that discipline home. He was the enforcer, whereas my mother, who was a stay-at-home mum, was always the pacifier.

We learnt a lot from county cricket – even if we did not earn stacks of money from it.

Constructive criticism is not much accepted in the Caribbean.

Playing a Test in front of my home crowd at the Rec was the greatest feeling of my career. It was the first time I felt pressure on me to perform, because I wanted to do so well.

I didn’t wear a helmet because I wanted to show that the bowler wasn’t intimidating me, and also that’s just the way I liked to bat.

When I grew up, my father used to say that cricket is not a profession, cricket cannot bring you food. But I think he lived to see the day when I was actually paid.

Wherever the fight is, I’m going to be fighting.

I think I was pretty tough as a youngster.

I always felt I was good enough to be competing and I wanted to express myself in the best way that I can.

I would love to take a role like Greg Chappell did for Australia. I think I have a good eye for talent and this is something that we have never taken on board in the Caribbean.

The next generation did not seem to be smart enough to realise that you have to work to be at the top and to stay at the top. You can have talent, but if you do not work hard it’s not going to happen.

I’ve always been a competitive guy. I want to win. I want to make an impact.

The West Indies team I played for in the 1970s and 80s was truly blessed to have so many brilliant individuals in one group. We had many great fast bowlers but the deadliest was my fellow Antiguan Andy Roberts.

Antigua has 365 beaches, one for each day of the year, which I think is rather unique for such a small island.

If you don’t know your history, you don’t have an idea how you channel things in your life. Knowing that history, I was able to fulfil my goals.