Sir Viv Richards is a talisman of West Indian cricket. When cricket fans talk of the great players of the game he is always there, the one player that people wish they could play like. Rarely do you hear players likened to him because, well, one has not come along yet. He is a big name in sport and always in demand, but he is laid back and happy to talk about sport in general. He’s a massive football fan- having played international football for Antigua in the qualifiers for the 1974 World Cup – and he loves golf.
“I am Liverpool supporter; I feel they have lost some great opportunities this season [2006/7] to get those vital 3 points, against Everton for example. All it takes is for Manchester United to lose a couple of games and the Premiership is up for grabs again.” Viv will talk for hours about football, he loves the English premiership and I do wonder, if he had his chance again, would he choose a different path. Certainly he believes that cricket, especially in the West Indies, needs to be managed more like football. “The money and the rewards involved are vital because that is the way things are going these days” says Richards. “People want to know that they can make a good living out of whatever they are doing. There needs to be more coaches, nutritionist, trainers and things like that in place. You have to widen the scope in many ways to make cricketers, especially in the West Indies, grow in a much more professional environment.” Richards is passionate about this and maybe there is a slight regret there that he didn’t follow the path of football.
Sir Viv Richards is a personality that is in high demand in the sports world. A popular event recently during the Ashes 2006/7 was a beach cricket tournament held on Bondi Beach between Australia, England and the West Indies. “That was a lot of fun, all the guys coming together and having a lot of fun. It was just a bunch of guys getting together and entertaining the crowd. The interaction of the audience and their enthusiasm to get involved was great. That was very special.”
This raises an interesting issue about the personalities in modern day cricket. Cricket fans love the way that Richards, Darren Gough, Allan Border and many others approached the game. Are there similar characters coming through now? Richards is sure that there are; “I think they are in their own way. It is so easy to relive your past and talk about the individuals back then, it’s great to do that but there are so many guys coming through right now. Bret Lee, young Kevin Pieterson, there are lots of people out there doing it there own way.”
Along with his many commitments Sir Viv Richards heads the Sir Viv Richards Foundation (SVRF). The SVRF objectives are to promote growth, coaching and the emergence of future West Indies sporting stars. The foundation has made some successful strides since its conception and Sir Viv is excited by the opportunities that the World Cup in the Caribbean may bring. “We can try and raise the awareness of the foundation during the competition, we need to generate interest and the World Cup will be a great time to meet a lot of new people and show them what we are doing” says Viv enthusiastically. “Our goals are to push beyond what we are doing right now, expand and to go down more avenues where we can make a difference to individuals who are less fortunate.”
Incentives such as the SVRF and the Stanford 20/20 [an inter-island cricket competition launched by billionaire Allan Stanford] are changing the way that young West Indian children view cricket. The Stanford 20/20 has been met with a mixed response, what does Sir Viv think about it? “Certainly you ask some people and they say it’s not a good thing but I can say that I think it does attract a lot of interest. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to become a professional sportsman, I think the Stanford 20/20 is giving young people a goal with the incentives and packages available to them.”
While talking to Sir Viv Richards it becomes apparent how important the World Cup is to the Caribbean. It is about more than just the cricket, it is about the legacy it can bring to the communities throughout the region. The Caribbean desperately want the current players to take the limelight and the recognition that the legends of the past have held for so long.
“I am Liverpool supporter; I feel they have lost some great opportunities this season [2006/7] to get those vital 3 points, against Everton for example. All it takes is for Manchester United to lose a couple of games and the Premiership is up for grabs again.” Viv will talk for hours about football, he loves the English premiership and I do wonder, if he had his chance again, would he choose a different path. Certainly he believes that cricket, especially in the West Indies, needs to be managed more like football. “The money and the rewards involved are vital because that is the way things are going these days” says Richards. “People want to know that they can make a good living out of whatever they are doing. There needs to be more coaches, nutritionist, trainers and things like that in place. You have to widen the scope in many ways to make cricketers, especially in the West Indies, grow in a much more professional environment.” Richards is passionate about this and maybe there is a slight regret there that he didn’t follow the path of football.
Sir Viv Richards is a personality that is in high demand in the sports world. A popular event recently during the Ashes 2006/7 was a beach cricket tournament held on Bondi Beach between Australia, England and the West Indies. “That was a lot of fun, all the guys coming together and having a lot of fun. It was just a bunch of guys getting together and entertaining the crowd. The interaction of the audience and their enthusiasm to get involved was great. That was very special.”
This raises an interesting issue about the personalities in modern day cricket. Cricket fans love the way that Richards, Darren Gough, Allan Border and many others approached the game. Are there similar characters coming through now? Richards is sure that there are; “I think they are in their own way. It is so easy to relive your past and talk about the individuals back then, it’s great to do that but there are so many guys coming through right now. Bret Lee, young Kevin Pieterson, there are lots of people out there doing it there own way.”
Along with his many commitments Sir Viv Richards heads the Sir Viv Richards Foundation (SVRF). The SVRF objectives are to promote growth, coaching and the emergence of future West Indies sporting stars. The foundation has made some successful strides since its conception and Sir Viv is excited by the opportunities that the World Cup in the Caribbean may bring. “We can try and raise the awareness of the foundation during the competition, we need to generate interest and the World Cup will be a great time to meet a lot of new people and show them what we are doing” says Viv enthusiastically. “Our goals are to push beyond what we are doing right now, expand and to go down more avenues where we can make a difference to individuals who are less fortunate.”
Incentives such as the SVRF and the Stanford 20/20 [an inter-island cricket competition launched by billionaire Allan Stanford] are changing the way that young West Indian children view cricket. The Stanford 20/20 has been met with a mixed response, what does Sir Viv think about it? “Certainly you ask some people and they say it’s not a good thing but I can say that I think it does attract a lot of interest. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to become a professional sportsman, I think the Stanford 20/20 is giving young people a goal with the incentives and packages available to them.”
While talking to Sir Viv Richards it becomes apparent how important the World Cup is to the Caribbean. It is about more than just the cricket, it is about the legacy it can bring to the communities throughout the region. The Caribbean desperately want the current players to take the limelight and the recognition that the legends of the past have held for so long.
4 comments:
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This man played tests like he was in twenty20, even when shortest format of cricket wasn't even thought of.
Wonderful batsman.
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