Viv Richards

Sir Viv Richards was a West Indian batsman widely regarded as the greatest and most destructive Test batsman of his generation, captaining a West Indies side that never lost a Test series.

In 1976, Viv Richards scored 1,710 Test runs at an average of 90.00, including seven centuries — the most runs ever scored by a batsman in a calendar year, a record that stood for three decades and confirmed him as the most feared and dominant batsman of his generation. John's, Antigua, the son of Antigua's leading fast bowler Malcolm Richards. He made his Test debut for the West Indies in 1974 at age 22, and quickly established himself as one of the most feared batsmen in the world, famously refusing to wear a helmet even against the fastest bowling attacks of the era. Richards's peak came in 1976, when he scored 1,710 Test runs at an average of 90.00, including seven centuries — a record for the most runs scored by a batsman in a calendar year that stood for three decades. He played a crucial role in West Indies' triumphs at the first two Cricket World Cups, in 1975 and 1979, scoring a century in the 1979 final, and helped establish West Indies as the dominant force in world cricket throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Richards succeeded Clive Lloyd as West Indies captain in 1985, and under his leadership across 50 Tests, the team won 27 and lost only 8, never losing a single series. He retired in 1991 having scored 8,540 Test runs at an average of 50.23, with 24 centuries, and was later voted one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Century in 2000 alongside Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Jack Hobbs, and Shane Warne. He was knighted in 1999 and inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009, and has remained closely involved in the sport as a commentator and mentor.

Fearless, aggressive batsman renowned for devastating power hitting without a helmet

An emblem of West Indian cricket dominance in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century

• 2x ICC Cricket World Cup winner (1975, 1979)
• Wisden Cricketer of the Century (2000, joint)
• Wisden Leading Cricketer of the 20th Century (ODI)
• ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2009)
• Knighted 1999