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Barry Richards vs. Graeme Pollock
- Thread starter Tejretics
- Start date
Johan
International Coach
I don't know about the best but this team, with that middle order, might be the most exciting to watch.
SeamUp
International Coach
I thought I would go find some opinion of knowledgeable cricket people (outside us on here of course ha) on Barry Richards.
Obviously this is why there is such skewed opinion on Barry outside of SA. Some didn't see Graeme enough or at all. But will try find some quotes later on Graeme.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott (but I'm sure there is elsewhere that he goes into more detail)
“I personally asked for those caps as I had immense respect and admiration for those players,” he says. “Sunil Gavaskar and Barry Richards were the two best opening batsmen during my career. They were unbelievable players.”
Hutton -- Barry Richards was a fine strokemaker of the highest class and a player I would hold up as an example for any schoolboy to try to emulate. (Hutton selected Barry as part of his top opening batsmen ever. He ranked him second to Jack Hobbs and ahead of the likes of Gavaskar and Suttcliff)
Basil D' Oliviera-- Barry Richards sits atop at my list of greatest batsmen in the game. As well as marvellous ability he was blessed with fighting qualities. Could break the heart of the bowlers with competitive spirit, battling regardless of what was thrown(at him). (D' Oliviera selected Barry Richards as part of his greatest batsmen of cricket selection. Other to make the cut included Sobers, Kanhai, Viv and Greg Chappell)
Ted Dexter-- Barry was a delight to watch for the fluency and range of his strokes. The only better stroke player than him was Gary Sobers. (Ted selected Barry as part of greatest stroke makers list. The others to make the cut included Sobers, Graeme Pollock, Viv Richards)
Colin Milburn--- He(barry) stands third in my list of greatest entertainers of the batsmen I have played with or against. The one and two are Gary Sobers and Viv Richards.
Keith Fletcher-- The finest right-handed batsmen that I have played against are Barry Richards and Greg Chappell.
Graham Gooch -- Barry Richards is without question the best batsman I have played against. He had all the shots and made batting look extremely easy. His timing was perfect and he had power and precision all-around the wicket.It was a pleasure to watch him in action, even when having to chase his shots to the boundary.
Kim Hughes-- To be perfect batsman you have to have the concentration and tecnique of Geoff Boycott and power,grace and dashing strokeplay of Viv Richards. The player who had the mixture of these two qualities was Barry Richards, the perfect batsman to me. In Australia cricket followers still recall the match in 1971 when he scored 325 in a day. He totalled 1538 runs that season at an average of 109.86. That was batting in the Bradman class.(at the time Barry was the batsman who had come closest to Bradman's 50 years record of 1690 runs in a season in Sheffield Shield)
John Lever -- Barry Richards is the closest to the most perfect batsman I have seen or bowled to. He can play shots all around the wicket, on all kind of pitches and has a very sound technique.
John Snow -- Gary Sobers and Barry Richards are the perfect batsman I saw. Had Barry Richards had the challenge of more Test cricket, I feel he might hae reached the same heights and recognition as the genius Sobers.
Brian Johnston-- Barry Richards and Len Hutton are my dream team openers. Two absolute masters. (the rest of the team included Viv Richards,Bradman, Hammond, Compton, Sobers, Benaud/Laker, Evans, Lindwall and Lillee)
Dennis Lillee -- I have seen him play county cricket and WSC where he scored hundreds making them look so easy it made me wonder just how good he could have been. He was difficult to bowl to because he could play every shot in the book and then some. He was a magician. Like Viv, he created shots that I had never seen before but he was very elegant and brutal in effect. (Lillee included Barry Richards as one of the 10 greatest batsmen he bowled to, Barry coming 3rd in his ranks after Viv and Sobers).
Henry Blofeld-- All the years I have spent watching cricket I have never ever seen anyone make the art of batting look simpler. Had South African sporting isolation not happened, Barry Richards might have been the batsman to have come closest to Don Bradman. He(Barry) opened for Hampshire with Gordon Greendidge and there is no doubt that he was the better batsman.It would be impossible to play the ball as late as Barry did.I remember in a game where I was told by a bowler "Its got to the stage that when I come in to bowl to him he blocks the bad balls and hits only the good ones. It seems to amuse him more". I(Henry Blofeld) remember once being told that he(Barry) made a century in a game by playing all the shots with edge of the blade...he might very well could have.
Obviously this is why there is such skewed opinion on Barry outside of SA. Some didn't see Graeme enough or at all. But will try find some quotes later on Graeme.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott (but I'm sure there is elsewhere that he goes into more detail)
“I personally asked for those caps as I had immense respect and admiration for those players,” he says. “Sunil Gavaskar and Barry Richards were the two best opening batsmen during my career. They were unbelievable players.”
Hutton -- Barry Richards was a fine strokemaker of the highest class and a player I would hold up as an example for any schoolboy to try to emulate. (Hutton selected Barry as part of his top opening batsmen ever. He ranked him second to Jack Hobbs and ahead of the likes of Gavaskar and Suttcliff)
Basil D' Oliviera-- Barry Richards sits atop at my list of greatest batsmen in the game. As well as marvellous ability he was blessed with fighting qualities. Could break the heart of the bowlers with competitive spirit, battling regardless of what was thrown(at him). (D' Oliviera selected Barry Richards as part of his greatest batsmen of cricket selection. Other to make the cut included Sobers, Kanhai, Viv and Greg Chappell)
Ted Dexter-- Barry was a delight to watch for the fluency and range of his strokes. The only better stroke player than him was Gary Sobers. (Ted selected Barry as part of greatest stroke makers list. The others to make the cut included Sobers, Graeme Pollock, Viv Richards)
Colin Milburn--- He(barry) stands third in my list of greatest entertainers of the batsmen I have played with or against. The one and two are Gary Sobers and Viv Richards.
Keith Fletcher-- The finest right-handed batsmen that I have played against are Barry Richards and Greg Chappell.
Graham Gooch -- Barry Richards is without question the best batsman I have played against. He had all the shots and made batting look extremely easy. His timing was perfect and he had power and precision all-around the wicket.It was a pleasure to watch him in action, even when having to chase his shots to the boundary.
Kim Hughes-- To be perfect batsman you have to have the concentration and tecnique of Geoff Boycott and power,grace and dashing strokeplay of Viv Richards. The player who had the mixture of these two qualities was Barry Richards, the perfect batsman to me. In Australia cricket followers still recall the match in 1971 when he scored 325 in a day. He totalled 1538 runs that season at an average of 109.86. That was batting in the Bradman class.(at the time Barry was the batsman who had come closest to Bradman's 50 years record of 1690 runs in a season in Sheffield Shield)
John Lever -- Barry Richards is the closest to the most perfect batsman I have seen or bowled to. He can play shots all around the wicket, on all kind of pitches and has a very sound technique.
John Snow -- Gary Sobers and Barry Richards are the perfect batsman I saw. Had Barry Richards had the challenge of more Test cricket, I feel he might hae reached the same heights and recognition as the genius Sobers.
Brian Johnston-- Barry Richards and Len Hutton are my dream team openers. Two absolute masters. (the rest of the team included Viv Richards,Bradman, Hammond, Compton, Sobers, Benaud/Laker, Evans, Lindwall and Lillee)
Dennis Lillee -- I have seen him play county cricket and WSC where he scored hundreds making them look so easy it made me wonder just how good he could have been. He was difficult to bowl to because he could play every shot in the book and then some. He was a magician. Like Viv, he created shots that I had never seen before but he was very elegant and brutal in effect. (Lillee included Barry Richards as one of the 10 greatest batsmen he bowled to, Barry coming 3rd in his ranks after Viv and Sobers).
Henry Blofeld-- All the years I have spent watching cricket I have never ever seen anyone make the art of batting look simpler. Had South African sporting isolation not happened, Barry Richards might have been the batsman to have come closest to Don Bradman. He(Barry) opened for Hampshire with Gordon Greendidge and there is no doubt that he was the better batsman.It would be impossible to play the ball as late as Barry did.I remember in a game where I was told by a bowler "Its got to the stage that when I come in to bowl to him he blocks the bad balls and hits only the good ones. It seems to amuse him more". I(Henry Blofeld) remember once being told that he(Barry) made a century in a game by playing all the shots with edge of the blade...he might very well could have.
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SeamUp
International Coach
Much in his own style
Coronis
Hall of Fame Member
I’d tweak the batting order a bit, but certainly a fun one. Love the Boycott selection over Gavaskar lol
As you say opinion varies from country to country. Richards is rated highest in England. There were plenty of good judges there who believed he was as good as anyone they ever saw. Most would have seen Pollock as well. With county cricket's long history, lack of Test appearances wasn't a big issue.
Richards may also be ahead in Australia, based on his season for South Australia and WSC. Pollock also did well there so a comparison is possible. Ian Chappell once marked Pollock a touch below Sobers for not playing the hook shot.
In their native South Africa Pollock is ahead. Their first-class averages are similar (Richards 58, Pollock 56) but Pollock played a lot more there.
Richards never appeared in New Zealand, Pollock only three times (one a two-day game) without doing anything special. So difficult to say there. Neither played in the Caribbean or sub-continent where both tend to be downgraded in favour of batsmen from those regions.
At the time both had retired, most cricket writing had been published in England, with a lot of the rest in Australia. So most of what you read will have Richards ahead.
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