It was a 1981 series between England and West Indies and the formidable Geoff Boycott, the king of Yorkshire cricket was being put into rather compromising positions. A tall fast bowler from the music loving Jamaica, standing at 6’4” was creating music of a different kind. The first five deliveries of the over were enough to bring the devil out of the grave, whistling past the chin, zipping over the head, creating absolute havoc. The last delivery was more like a breather for the batsman, the middle stump was uprooted from the ground and a relieved Boycott trudged back to the pavilion. They call it the greatest over in world cricket and is a living tribute to the greatness that was Michael Holding.

A colorful, flamboyant cricketer, Holding was born on February 16, 1954 in Jamaica, West Indies. An outstanding athlete from the start, he was a champion of sorts in the 400 m sprint. The affect was apparent even in his bowling as he was known to have the longest and the most attractive run up in those days. Right from his debut, he was an instant success as he adjusted himself perfectly in the fearsome Windies pace quartet. Known for his quick, nippy bouncers and immaculate line and length, he was a scourge for most batsmen at that time. In his test career, he grabbed 249 scalps at a miserly average of 23.68 with 13 five wicket hauls and 2 ten wickets in a match.

He was a character on the field and a particular incident in seen in amusing light. In the New Zealand series of 1979-80, the Windies had just from a particularly strenuous series in Australia and a number of players had decided not to take part in the relatively unglamorous series. The kiwis were not a formidable side then but had the bowlers frustrated in a particular innings. The umpiring had been unfair in the entire series and after a particularly bad decision by umpire Fred Goodwill, Michael turned around and kicked the stumps, uprooting them from the ground. The image was taken on film and is now a collector’s item. In the 102 one day international games that he played he captured 149 wickets at a good strike rate.

He has been given a number of titles in his career but the most prominent and the most apt was given by the umpires themselves. For his stealthy, quite run up with which he crept past the umpires, he was reverentially titled ‘whispering death’. His batting talent was another interesting chapter in his cricketing artillery and he although he scores just 910 runs at an average of 14, more than half the runs came in the form of sixes. He hit 36 sixes in his test career which is the 32nd highest ever.

After his retirement, he continued to be associated with cricket. After a brief stint at coaching, he used his cricket knowledge and his colorful personality to become a cricket broadcaster. He is presently employed by Sky Sports and his insight and his amazing sense of humor and spontaneity, coupled with that distinctive West Indian accent make him a distinct and much loved commentator. His commentary duels with Geoffrey Boycott are highly amusing as the two former nemesis recount the famous over of death.

Michael Holding has been a positive influence on a number of present day test cricketers. He has worked on the run ups of Franklyn Rose and Mervin Dillon and is often seen with the team, sharing a lighter moment. Michael ‘whispering death’ Holding will always be remembered as a great cricketer.

This Jamaican workhorse is popular in the cricketing world for his quiet and determined manner. His achievements speak for his ability, being the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers with 519 test wickets. He set an example for everyone with his sportsmanship and gentlemanly behaviour throughout his illustrious career. Courtney was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 30 October, 1962. Playing for Excelsior High School, Kingston, he once took all ten wickets in an innings, five as a spinner and five as a seamer. It was a record for Jamaican school Cricket. He made his test debut in 1984 against Australia at Perth, but did not get the new ball till 1993. He was one of the Wisdens Cricketers of the year in 1987. In 1991, he was appointed the captain of Jamaica. In 1992, he became the highest wicket taker in English county season with 92 wickets at an average of 15.96 which was also the best bowling average that year.

Later on with curtly Ambrose, he devastated countless batting line-ups, sharing 421 wickets in 49 tests with his compatriot. Famous for his willingness to work hard, he always agreed to ball into the wind while fellow bowlers were charging into the pitch with the wind behind them. He got a chance to captain the national side in 1994 on a tour to New Zealand when Richie Richardson got injured. His love for his country was made evident when he got the West Indies badges removed from the right side of the shirt and to be fixed on the left side of the players’ shirts, right over their hearts. He was appointed the captain of West Indies again, not as a temporary replacement, in 1996. Surprisingly, this bowler holds a record for his batting prowess too. As funny with the bat as he was graceful with the ball, he holds the record for the maximum ducks(43). His first duck came against the Aussies in Brisbane in 1984.

The Aussies gave him the maximum, 13 ducks. Also he played three tests against Sri Lanka and got ducks in the first innings every time and did not bat in the other three. So he has no runs against them. On ten occasions, Walsh has managed a duck in the first innings and not batted on the second innings. He has more ducks than his highest score i.e.31. In 1995, his school named their cricket ground ‘the Courtney Walsh oval’ in his honour. He was known popularly as Duracell in Gloucestershire for which he played county cricket, because of his endurance. He made another record in 1998 for them, taking 800 wickets and scoring 2500 runs in county cricket. He was also the leading wicket taker that year in county cricket, with 106 wickets at an average of 17.06. 1998 was a fruitful year for Courtney. At Jamaica House in January that year, he was appointed the Ambassador at Large and Special Envoy of the government of Jamaica. In May, the Variety Sports Club of Britain named him the International Player of the Year.

Walsh was a true gentleman and exemplified the true spirit in which the game should be played on countless occasions. On 17th October 1987, West Indies played Pakistan. Courtney was bowling the last over. With one run and one wicket needed to decide the game, and with one ball left, tension was at fever pitch. As Courtney ran in to deliver the final ball, he noticed that Saleem Jaffer was backing up so far at the non-strikers end that he was out of his crease. Courtney could have run him out, and won the game for West Indies. But instead, he pulled up in his delivery stride, and warned the batsman. He then started all over again with the last delivery, off which Abdul Quadir scored two runs to win the game for Pakistan. Courtney’s West Indies team mates, and West Indian supporters in general were disbelieving, but Courtney was presented with a hand-woven carpet as a gesture of thanks for his sporting behavior.

The Jamaica phone book has on its cover, a picture of Courtney Walsh bowling. Written underneath is “Ambassador the Honorable Courtney Andrew Walsh, OJ. Leading wicket taker in Test Cricket History, 435 wickets on 27 March 2000 at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica”.

The passive expression and the focused eyes of a savage hunter. No display of emotion whether he got a wicket or was stuck for a boundary. The heavy artillery bowling attack which was a part of the revived and aggressive West Indian team began with him: Anderson Montgomery Everton ‘Andy’ Roberts was born on 29 January 1951 on the island of Antigua in the West Indies. A tall fast bowler with powerful shoulders, he had an action which used very little of his energy, but allowed him to propel the ball at the batsman with high speed, venom and accuracy. His bouncer was considered the most dangerous in his time. He often set up batsmen by bowling slower deliveries and then suddenly throwing one in short and quick which left them befuddled. He made his test debut against England at Bridgetown in 1973-4 and his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in the World Cup of 1975. From Antigua, Roberts debuted for the Leeward Islands in 1969/70. He bade farewell to international cricket after the 1983-4 tour of India. Roberts was nominated Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1975.

He took his first 100 test wickets in two years which was the quickest in his time. Playing 47 tests, Roberts claimed 202 wickets at an average of 25.61 with 7-54 as his best figures. He also scored 762 runs, batting in the tail for the mighty West Indies side of the seventies. In 56 One Day Internationals, he claimed 87 wickets and scored 231 runs. Roberts led the dreaded Caribbean pace quartet that terrorized test playing nations throughout the seventies and mid-eighties. After the disruption of the Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket in the late 1970s, the West Indian side returned to full strength and possibly the best pace attack in cricketing history, bringing together Roberts, Holding, Croft and Garner to ensure that the West Indies crushed all who came before them. His fertile brain would plot the downfall of a batsman, using the double paced bouncer to good effect and getting extra pace and bounce off the wicket without any change in action. His bowling impressed in India in 1974/75 as he grabbed six wickets in the Bangalore Test, eight in Calcutta, then 7-64 and 5-57 in Madras. But the following year he was joined by Michael Holding and a dynasty was born.

The 1975 World Cup was the perfect showcase for his talents, and he was virtually unplayable throughout, conceding only 16 runs in 12 overs against Sri Lanka and 18 runs in 11 overs to the New Zealanders. His finest performance however, came in the match of the tournament against Pakistan, surprisingly with the bat and not the ball. 50s from Majid Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad and Wasim Raja had helped Pakistan to an impressive 266 from their 60 overs. The West Indians would have been confident, but uncharacteristic slack performance from the top of the order – aside from Murray and Lloyd – kept innings building to a minimum. The eighth wicket fell at 166 and the ninth at 203 in the 46th over. This seemed to hand the initiative to the Pakistanis, but with Murray and Roberts at the crease, discipline was finally restored.

Roberts managed to accumulate 24 runs in the next 14 overs out of the 64-run partnership, bringing the match back into the balance until, on the fourth ball of the final over, the winning runs came, giving the West Indies a remarkable victory. Roberts was also the leading wicket taker for his team in the 1983 World Cup, but despite his three wickets in the final against India, the West Indies lost the title they had held for eight years. Roberts went away from the game when he could still have won some matches for the West Indies off his own bowling, but introverted that he was, he felt jaded and bored towards the end of the Indian tour of 1983-4. Quitting early, he later became coach of the West Indies team and also a national selector.

The first thing that you noticed about him when he would come in to bowl was the fact that he was short. In fact at 5’10”, he looked a mere toddler when standing with the rest of his formidable above 6’5” bowling comrades. But the next thing you noticed was the fear he managed to generate in batsmen as he came in to bowl with his erratic run up, delivering his breathtaking scorchers. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that Malcolm Marshall was the greatest and the most awe inspiring of the famed West Indian fast bowling quartet, a terror amongst the batting fraternity and the most useful asset for his team.

Born on April 18, 1958 in Bridgetown, Barbados, Malcolm Denzil Marshall alias ‘Maco’ was partly taught cricket by his grandfather, who helped to bring him up after his father was killed in a road accident. He started playing his cricket early and as a teenager was playing for a number of local sides as a regular fast bowler and a part time batsman. His first senior appearance was for Barbados against Jamaica which was a rather forgettable chapter for him. Four days later, he made up for his follies by taking 6 wickets against the same Jamaican side. He immediately came into national reckoning and in less than a year was in the national squad. He had a rocky beginning in international cricket and found himself out of the squad in a year, but a series of consistent performances in county cricket for Hampshire brought him right back in the team in 1982. After that there was no looking back for him. With more experience and a wiser head on his shoulders, he began his wicket taking fest and peaked just at the right time. In seven successive Test series from 1982/83 to 1985/86 he took 21 or more wickets each time, in the last five of them averaging lesser than 20.

A number of interesting chapters mark this pinnacle period of his life. In the series against India in 1983, he grabbed 33 wickets and systematically terrorized the Indian batting brigade lead by Gavaskar. His ability to extract bouncers from slow turning tracks was baffling to all. He also finished with a batting average of 34, having scored two fifties in the series, proving his worth as an effective all rounder.

The most interesting fairytale incident from his life which has become cricket legend now is how he managed to capture seven wickets in a test innings against England in Headingly while bowling with a broken thumb. To top it all, he was part of an above 50 run last wicket partnership with Larry Gomes in which he batted with one hand… never has world cricket seen a character as fierce and at the same time as colorful as Malcolm Marshall. In his test career that lasted upto 1992, he captured 376 wickets at an average of 20.73 which happens to be record for the best average for any bowler having taken more than 200 wickets. He bowling skill was not limited to sheer pace and excruciating. He is considered one of the most skilled and intelligent fast bowlers ever and was reputed to have almost every single delivery in his repertoire. With his ability to swing the bowl in both directions at enormous pace, he was a nightmare for any batsman.

Malcolm also played a lot of first class cricket for Hampshire in England and later Natal in South Africa. His international career came to an end in the 1992 world cup with a dismal performance after which he himself decided to throw in the towel. He did however play county cricket upto 1996. It was in the same year that he was handed the mantle of being the coach of both West Indies and Hampshire. He continued to coach West Indies upto the 1999 world cup when fate intervened in the cruelest of manner. In the middle of the world cup, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He breathed his last in his home town, where he died on 4 November aged just 41. It was a great shock to the cricketing fraternity and of course his family. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Malcolm Marshall was a man of the masses. A genial character off the field contrary to the fierce character he was on it, he was loved by the audience which flocked in numbers to see him bowl. He was a huge favorite amongst the Indian cricket fans after the 1983 series. He influenced the bowling styles of a number of bowlers including Shaun Pollock. A Malcolm Marshall memorial trophy is awarded in fond remembrance to the winner of all the West Indies v/s England test series.

He was a revelation at a time when fielding was at the lower ebb of the priority list and a wicket keeper’s job was considered genuinely thankless. Peter Jeffrey Leroy Dujon was the wicket keeper of the West Indian team in its glory years. He was the crucial link in the terrific combination and the safety house for a bunch of dynamites that would take world sport by a storm.

Born on May 28, 1956, he was introduced to cricket when he was just four years old when he would go with his father to the Kingston Club during the weekends. During the tea break he would try his hand with the willow and the gloves. He came into national reckoning after a series of high level high school and first class performance. The Jamaican lad made his first class debut in 1974 and went on to play more than 200 test matches for Jamaica and West Indies. With a batting prowess to compliment his athletic wicket keeping skills, he was indispensable for the team. In his 81 match test career, he took 267 catches behind the stumps and his athletic ability was a blessing for the fearsome pace battery which could produce some astonishing bouncers and needed a nippy, high reflex wicketkeeper to maintain the sanity in the scheme of things. He was a tireless soldier who served his country well. In his first class career also, he had an excellent track record and has scored more than 10000 first class runs and a number of behind the stump dismissals.

His greatest contributions were in the one day format of the game and he was a member of the World Cup winning West Indian team. One of the most downloaded images from the 1983 world cup is that of Jeff Dujon banging the ground with his fist after he was clean bowled by Mohinder Amarnath in the finals. He had been involved in a crucial partnership with Malcolm Marshall when West Indies were 76-6 and he stayed at the crease till the score was 119. His dismissal was definitely the turning point of the game and India eventually went on to win the match and the cup. In 169 one day games, he took 183 catches and made 21 stumpings. He also scored 1945 runs with six half centuries at an average of 23.15 with a top score of 82*. His batting performance in the test matches was even more impressive where he score 3322 runs at an average of 31, including 5 hundreds and 16 fifties. At that time, he held the records for both, highest career runs and the maximum hundreds by a wicket keeper making him unarguably, the best wicket keeper in the world in the 80s. His top score of 139 was an innings of exemplary grit.

Dujon was conferred with the recognition of one of the five cricketers of the year 1989 by Wisden, a proud achievement no doubt. He retired in 1992 after a slump in form as age caught up with him. Jeff Dujon is always a part of West Indian cricket’s glorious folklore. He never allowed himself to be bobbed down by the enormous talent that surrounded him and managed to gain the love and respect of all his teammates and countrymen. He also played in the World Series cricket and attributed a large part of his cricketing acumen to the experience there. A large number of wicket keepers look upto his achievements and try to learn more from his natural athletic style. He has inspired many and has firmly etched his name amongst the cricketing greats of all time.

The more dynamic half of the greatest opening duo in test cricket history, when it came to batting but morose otherwise, Gordon Greenidge was the flamboyant firework of West Indies. He was capable of destroying any bowling attack on his day. He was as comfortable driving balls through covers as he was smashing pulls and hooks to make the ball run for cover on the leg side. He made them chase leather all around the ground. Together, he and Haynes put up 16 one hundred opening stands. 10 of them were more than 200. In Hampshire he opened with Barry Richards of South Africa and they are still regarded as the finest opening pair in county cricket. He was a part of the team that won the county championship in 1973.

Greenidge was born on May1, 1951 in Black Press, St.Peter, Barbados. But he grew up in England and learnt to play on the soft and green pitches there. This influenced his style of batting to a large extent. He could have played for England too, as he had started playing with Hampshire, but his love for his country took him back to the Caribbean. Also it was the West Indies who picked him first in their national squad. He was quite inexperienced when he made his debut in 1974-75 when West Indies toured India. He made a century on debut in Bangalore. His most memorable series was in 1984 against England. He scored two double hundreds on the tour. It is also known as the ‘blackwash series’ as West Indies won 5-0. His double hundred in the second test at Lord’s was an unforgettable innings. England had made 286 in the first innings. West Indies managed 245. England declared at 300-9 in the second innings to set the visitors a target of 342 to win. The home side was the favourite and they started well, getting Desmond Haynes out cheaply but that was the only wicket they got in the innings. Larry Gomes was sent into bat. He supported Greenidge well and that was all he got a chance to do. Greenidge blasted away the English attack scoring 214 from 245 deliveries. He struck 29 fours and 2 sixes on his way to 214 not out. West Indies won by nine wickets at Lord’s.

He was awarded the Wisden Player of the year award in 1977. He averaged 44.72 in the 108 tests that he played amassing 19 centuries and 34 fifties and a total of 7558 runs. His one day career was amazing too. He scored 5134 runs in 128 one day internationals at an average of 45.03. Gordon Greenidge suffered from knee problems througout his career but it only made him more aggressive as a batsman. His reluctance to run up and down the pitch made him keep the fielders busy running, to fetch the ball from the boundary line. He played with fearlessness and élan and will always be remembered as a true entertainer of the cricket fans. His son Carl plays for Gloucestershire.

Clive Hubert Lloyd, the most successful West Indian captain of all times, was born on 31 August 1944 in Georgetown. He captained the West Indies fro 1974 to 1985. he guided them to two world cup victories in 1975 and 1979. He scored a century in the first World Cup final at Lord’s to guide his team to victory. He also took them to the finals in 1983, where they received a shock defeat against India. That was the first world cup match, West Indies lost. Clive made his test debut in December 1966 against India at Bombay, scoring 82 and 78 not out and taking his team to victory. He was named the Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1971 for his exhilarating performances in county. He scored 1600 runs that year for Lancashire. He struck a century in the final of the Gillette cup 1972, against Warwickshire to win his team the cup.

At his best Lloyd was a flamboyant destroyer of bowling. His heavy bat, powerful shoulders and full swing of the arms could turn the course of any game, once scoring 201* in just 120 minutes against Glamorgan – equaling the record for the fastest ever first-class double hundred (1976). Far from inhibiting his batting, Lloyd’s first tour as captain (1974-75) marked a dramatic improvement after a run of low scores. 163 in the First Test at Bangalore (his century came in just 85 balls) was followed by a Test-best 242* in the Fifth Test in Mumbai to set up a series-deciding win for the West Indies. In 1975-76 West Indies toured Australia under his captaincy. Despite his efforts(he scored 469 in 6 tests at an average of 46.9), West Indies lost the series 5-1 thanks to the pulverizing attack of Dennis Lillie and Jeff Thomson. Clive came back wiser from the tour and decided to adopt the aggressive measures that Australia used. The team was lined up with heavy artillery bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Colin Croft. Adding to it was the intimidating batting line up of Greenidge, Haynes and Richards. The times were controversial too. Slow over rates and intimidation of batsmen with short-pitched bowling were both characteristics of his reign as captain. He was the first West Indian to get 100 test caps.

During the Packer crisis Lloyd resigned as captain after disagreeing with the selectors on the eve of a Test against Australia (1977-78), but he returned to lead his team to the 1979 World Cup. On the next tour of Australia he underwent a knee surgery that improved his mobility and effectiveness. Centuries at Adelaide and Old Trafford followed, and back in the West Indies he found the most consistent form of his career as in nine successive innings his lowest score was 49 (run out). He averaged 76 in the series against England and a phenomenal 172.50 in domestic cricket. Standing tall at 6’5 and with a lazy gait, he was an unusual sight at the crease but few can match his batting prowess and his cricketing brains. He wears specs because he damaged his eyes in a fight when he was twelve. Few people know he is a cousin of the famous spinner Lance Gibbs. Having been a schoolboy athletics champion, he became a brilliant cover fielder before knee problems forced a move to the slips, where he pouched many of his 90 Test catches.

Although Lloyd has worked as a civil servant for Guyana Ministry of Health post retirement, he has remained involved in cricket. He has coached and commentated on the game, as well as managed the Guyana team. A promising career as ICC Match Official (he officiated in both semi-final and final of the 1996 World Cup) was put on hold to take on the management of the West Indies team after their disappointments in the World Cup. It was a frustrating period for Lloyd as his hands were tied by the decision not to appoint him as a full selector (although he was a selector while on tour), and his responsibilities became increasingly administrative. He resigned at the end of the 1999 tour of New Zealand after a three-year period that coincided with a decline in the fortunes of West Indies cricket.

Much before the West Indians emerged as a world cricketing force; when the island nation was still a novice in the world of international cricket, much before Lloyd and Richards and Haynes attained superstardom, the West Indian batting scene was dominated by three neighbors from Barbados, three school mates who scripted the destiny of their nation’s cricket dreams. Known as the three W’s, Worrel, Walcott and Weekes were the highlight acts of the 50’s and 60’s international cricket. Amongst these, the most versatile was the tall, burly Clyde Walcott

Son of a printing engineer with the Barbados Advocate newspaper, he was educated at Combermere School and, from the age of 14, at Harrison College in Barbados. He made his test debut in the drawn test against England in 1948. With an unorthodox batting stance, the right handed bat didn’t get off to a very bright career start. But his versatility paid dividends and he was retained in the squad as a wicket keeper for about 15 tests. He took 53 catches and affected 11 stumpings in that brief stint. But in a couple of years, he proved his mettle with an unbeaten 168 against England in 1950 in the Lords’ test. This was also the first test win for West Indies and a landmark innings for the young Walcott. After that there was no looking back. In the 1955 test series against the Australians, he scored hundreds in both innings of two tests and amassed a total of 827 runs in 10 innings, a record for most runs scored in an innings at that time. In 44 tests, he scored 3689 runs at an average of 56.68 with a top score of 220. He was also a useful medium fast bowler and bagged 35 first class wickets. With such a vast range of talents, he was the greatest asset of the West Indian team at that time and unarguably the best batsman of the 50s.

While his international career came to an end in 1960 and domestic career in 1964, the first non white superstar of West Indian cricket continued to be associated with the game in more ways than one. His insatiable desire to be with the team and his contribution to the country’s cricketing history ensured that he’d become the chairman of the West Indies board of selectors between 1973 and 1988. He was the manager of the one day squad in the successful 1975 and 1979 world cup campaigns and was an inspiration for many of the radical new age batsmen who copied his batting style and shot making techniques. Brian Lara’s squat often attracts comparisons with the great man.

In 1992, he got involved in international cricket administration and became chairman of the International Cricket Council in 1993 and 1997, the first non-English person and the first black man to hold the position.

Titles and recognitions:

For all he did for cricket in West Indies and also for Guyana, he received the Order of the British Empire, a huge honor for any black man at that time. To top it all, he received knighthood from her majesty, the Queen of England in 1994 just like his two W comrades and became Sir Clyde Walcott henceforth. He passed away in 2006 which was followed by a period of national mourning in the Caribbean. He left behind a legacy, a legend that all the cricketers not just in West Indies but also in the world would want to live up to.
Sir Clyde Walcott was a man for the ages, the sort who can change the destiny of something bigger than themselves. He was respected tremendously by all and still remains a national icon.

Brian Charles Lara, the Prince, has been a phenomenon in himself that took the cricketing world by storm in the last decade. Born on May 2, 1969, this natural stroke maker was the second youngest in a family of 11 children growing up in Cantaro, a small village a few kilometers north of Port of Spain. The son that Trinidad is now proud of grew up with no luxuries that kids take for granted nowadays but he was blessed with caring parents, who put him on the right track to take advantage of his enormous talent.

Brian’s friends were wary of playing with him as he would never get out once he got hold of the bat. So he used to play by himself with broomstick and marbles, using flower pots for fielders. He devised his own England vs West Indies tests. His sister enrolled him for coaching classes when he was six and drove him daily to Harvard Clinic in Port of Spain. Money was in short supply but still his father made every effort to buy him the gear he needed for school and regional matches and also drove him around Trinidad to all the match venues. Brian idolised Roy Fredericks whom he had seen bat and convinced his father to buy him long sleeved white shirt to button at the wrist so he could imitate his hero.

His career prospered in Fatima College. In 1988, he was picked for Trinidad and Tobago. Lara was out second ball in his first match, dismissed by Malcolm Marshall who was playing for Barbados. He came back in the second match, scoring 92 runs after batting nearly six hours. The same year he was the captain of the under23 squad who were to play the visiting Pakistanis. Lara was picked in the squad of 12 to play against India in the national team in April1989 but was made the twelfth man. At the end of the first day came the news of the demise of his father who had suffered a heart attack. He could never get ot see his son play. Lara eventually made his test debut against Pakistan in December 1990 scoring 44 and 5. But the next time he was picked was sixteen months later against South Africa. nine months later Brian Lara played an unforgettable innings against Australia in Sydney. He teamed up with the captain Richie Richardson to salvage the situation after West Indian top order had been dismissed by the Aussies. Lara scored 277 runs and would have made more had he not been run out. His destructive batting was a delight to watch. It was a privilege to watch him bat from the non striker’s end, admitted Richardson. West Indies drew the test and went on to win the series.

In April 1994 he played the memorable knock of 375 against England, surpassing Sir Gary Sobers as the highest run scorer in a test innings. The Trinidad government gave him some land on which he built his house, and the highest honor of the island, the Trinity Cross. The telephone company gave him 375 minutes of free calls; a street was named after him. Two months later playing for his county side Warwickshire, he broke another record that of highest runs in first class cricket by hitting 501 not out.

Lara had a long lean spell and came under the spotlight of criticism for not only his batting but his captaincy and attitude. Lara came back in 1998-99 when he single handedly save his team against an Aussie onslaught with scores of 213,8,153 not out and 100. In 2001-02 series against Sri Lanka, he scored 688 runs which included 221 and 130 in one test. He made a record by scoring 42% of the team’s total runs in the series. Lara went past Allan Border’s 111174 runs in 2005 to become test cricket’s highest scorer. Also he is the only batsman to recover his batting record in tests. Hayden had scored 380 against Zimbabwe. Lara broke the record the same year against England by getting 400 runs in an innings. No one ever made such massive scores so many times and at such a pace. He is indeed one of the players of the century, a living legend.

It was the second test match of the India West Indies series in 1974 in New Delhi. In a typical Indian dust bed of a wicket, the Indian spinners were licking their fingers at the prospect of taking on the mighty West Indians. But a tall Antiguan, a new kid on the block, had different plans. Known more by reputation than anything else, this youngster playing in his second test match smashed an astonishing 192 and made the willow do magic tricks no one had ever seen before. Sir Isaac Vivian Richards was destined for greatness and there frankly was no looking back. Gum roller, swagger king, he carved his name in the highest echelons of the cricketing fraternity with ruthless authority and refused to be bobbed down by the greatness that surrounded him. Amongst the mighty Windies, he proved to be the mightiest.

Vivian Richards or Mighty Viv as he was fondly called was born in St. Johns, Antigua on 7th march, 1952. A sportsman right from the start, he excelled especially in cricket and soccer. Such was his proficiency in both the sports that it proved to be a difficult career decision for him later on. This cricketing demigod actually played soccer for Antigua in the qualifying matches of the 1974 world cup. But thankfully, cricket proved to be his greater passion and he made his debut against India in the 1974 series in Bangalore. There were no initial years of struggle or initial lapses in his case. He was out there to fire all cylinders blazing right from the start and he helped the windies in winning the 1975 Prudential World Cup. In 1976, he amassed a total of 1710 test runs with seven hundreds at an average of 90, setting the record for maximum runs scored in a single calendar year, a record that stayed unbroken for 30 years. In only the fourth year of his cricketing career, he was named Wisden cricketer of the year for 1977.

Vivian Richards’ batting style is unparalleled in more ways than one. He was undoubtedly the most aggressive batsman of his time, treating bowlers with disdain and unleashing a breathtaking array of strokes. But more importantly, it was his calm, nonchalant demeanor, his unreal hand eye co-ordination and his benign arrogance, for instance his refusal to wear a helmet even when facing the Australian fast bowling greats that made him such a crowd puller. It is said that after he hit a square cut, one of his greatest strengths, he never moved from his crease, so sure was he of the ball racing to the fence. He finished his test career with staggering 8,540 runs in121 matches, with 24 hundreds and an average of 50.23. His top score of 291 came against England at the Oval in the memorable 1976 season and this too after he came back having missed a game due to glandular fever. Such was the determination, such was the fire, the raw passion to be there and perform for his country. He is also recognized as a great leader who captained West Indies in 50 test matches, with an impressive win loss record of 27-8. But his records are not limited to Test cricket only. Thanks to his aggressive stroke play, he was indispensable in the one day format of the game and was largely responsible for their success in the 1975, 1979 and even the 1983 world cup. He has played some memorable innings including the 189* which remained a world record for quite a while.

And despite all the records he set in batting, versatility continued to be his middle name and in the barrage of fiery fast bowlers that the windies were so proud of, he came out as the devilish slow right arm tweaker. In fact, in 1987 in Christchurch against New Zealand, he became the first man in One day Internationals to bag 5 wickets and score a hundred in the same match. He was also a useful fielder with a very strong arm from the deep.

But if we look beyond cricket there’s a lot more to this insatiable maverick who refused to follow the norms and made the world follow his. Vivian Richards became Sir Richards when he knighted by her majesty, the Queen of England for his contribution to the game. Vivian Richards was a man for the ages, a legend that refuses to die and will live on down the ages. The crowds will remember him as an entertainer, his fellow team mates will remember him as a great leader and his country will remember him as the greatest ambassador of the sport, an insignia of the island’s greatness in the gentleman’s game.