Viv Richards' Cricinfo Interview

[Richard]

Almost no batsman has ever been one to regularly initiate a verbal exchange. I don't know the absolute ins and outs of everything Viv Richards ever did, but if he regularly said things to bowlers I'll be surprised. Equally, if any bowler ever said much to him (as you mentioned in your first post this thread) they were a first-class pratt.

 

[Furball]

Almost no batsman has ever been one to regularly initiate a verbal exchange. I don't know the absolute ins and outs of everything Viv Richards ever did, but if he regularly said things to bowlers I'll be surprised. Equally, if any bowler ever said much to him (as you mentioned in your first post this thread) they were a first-class pratt.

Based on the impression I have of Viv, I don't see him keeping quiet if Warne was to repeat his "bowl 17 feet outside legstump tactics" he adopted against Pietersen at Adelaide.

 

[Migara]

The better question would be "will Viv able to handle a ball piching 17 feet outside leg, on the rough, and hitting the top of middle?"

 

[Jono]

Viv's like Usain Bolt, ****y as **** but everyone loves him anyway.

 

[Shri]

You are entitled to ****iness if you can back what you say.

 

[Jono]

You are entitled to it, doesn't mean people will appreciat eit. There are plenty of ****y individuals in this world who have achieved much, but they put people offside because its hard to like them.

Viv, Bolt and Warne to an extent seem to be liked despite being ****y.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Almost no batsman has ever been one to regularly initiate a verbal exchange. I don't know the absolute ins and outs of everything Viv Richards ever did, but if he regularly said things to bowlers I'll be surprised. Equally, if any bowler ever said much to him (as you mentioned in your first post this thread) they were a first-class pratt.

I've heard that Allan Border used to do it, as a way of getting himself up if he was feeling a bit flat. He'd just say to someone as they walked past, "What the **** are you looking at?" and keep on chirping at the fielder, who was often a bowler who wasn't on at the time, just to get himself into a 'battle'.

 

[Richard]

Michael Atherton actually used that tactic occasionally at domestic level after his Test career was in full flow - he said he regularly required extra motivation to do well at domestic level.

The point is though that it's not very common and is generally the preserve of those who really thrive on the occasions when things are ultra-confrontational. Someone like Viv Richards just thrived whenever he was in the zone, which was regularly.

 

[Richard]

Based on the impression I have of Viv, I don't see him keeping quiet if Warne was to repeat his "bowl 17 feet outside legstump tactics" he adopted against Pietersen at Adelaide.

Like Mark Waugh and Brad Haddin I can see him getting bored very quickly and trying something completely out-of-the-ordinary. Or on the other hand he might do what Pietersen did that day and just realise that he'd do best to ignore it and wait for something more conventional that had to be delivered at the other end.