ESPN Cricinfo
  • Live Scores
    • Live Scores Home
    • Schedule
    • Results
    • Month view
    • Season view
    • International calendar
    • Desktop Scoreboard
  • Series
    • The Ashes
    • Women's Ashes
    • Sri Lanka v Afghanistan
    • UAE v West Indies
    • Bangladesh v Afghanistan
    • SL-A v SA-A
    • ACC Emerging Cup
    • CWC-QLF (Warm-up)
    • CWC Qualifier
    • Blast 2023
    • County DIV1
    • County DIV2
    • WT20-WC Europe QLF
    • -Test Championship-
    • Women's Championship
    • CWC Super League
    • CWC League 2
    • -Future series-
    • -Archives-
  • Teams
      • Australia
      • Afghanistan
      • Bangladesh
      • Ireland
      • England
      • Namibia
      • India
      • Nepal
      • New Zealand
      • Netherlands
      • Pakistan
      • Oman
      • South Africa
      • PNG
      • Sri Lanka
      • Scotland
      • West Indies
      • UAE
      • Zimbabwe
      • USA
  • News
      • News Home
      • Future of ODIs
      • Ball-tampering
      • Technology in cricket
      • Racism
  • Features
      • Features Home
      • Writers
      • Photo galleries
      • Cricinfo 30 years
      • The Cricket Monthly
  • Videos
      • Videos Home
      • T20 Time Out
      • T20 Time Out Hindi
      • Matchday
      • Polite Enquiries
      • News and Analysis
      • Match Analysis
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Press Conference
      • YouTube
  • Stats
    • Stats home
    • AskCricinfo
    • Statsguru
    • SuperStats
    • 2023 records
    • 2022 records
    • All records
    • Players
    • Grounds
    • Rankings
  • Edition IN
      • Africa
      • Bangladesh
      • New Zealand
      • Sri Lanka
      • United States
      • Australia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • United Kingdom
      • Global
    • Wisden Almanack
    • ESPN.in
    Feedback Sitemap About us Contact us Careers About Nielsen Measurement
  • Search
  • Home
  • Matches
  • Series
  • Video
  • More
Video Home
  • Videos
  • Rising Star
  • T20 Time Out
  • Fantasy Pick
  • POLITE ENQUIRIES
  • Newsroom
  • News and Analysis
  • Interviews
  • Features
  • Press Conference
  • YouTube

My XI Cricketers pick their favourites

  • Featured
  • Popular
  • Latest
Play
  • Share with FacebookShare
  • Share with TwitterTweet
My XI

'A classic player with classic technique'

Nov 23, 2015 Part two: Graham Gooch on the toughest competitors: Barry Richards had all the shots and immaculate technique

Producer: Tanveer Gogada

Related:
  • Players/Officials : Barry Richards

Login to post comments

X

Comments have now been closed for this article

  • Latest
  • All (3)
  • Oldest

Loading comments

Harsh on November 30, 2015, 4:15 GMT

Barry Richards combined the technical skill of Sunil Gavaskar or Len Hutton with the ferocity of Viv Richards or Walter Hammond.Ina full test career I would have backed Barry to even overshadow Sachin Tendulkar by a matter of afew inches.More than Barry's staggering statistical figures it was the way he scored his runs.It was realy sad that Barry could not play international cricket in the time of the Viv which prevented cricket from having arguably it's best ever battle for suprmacy for the title of the world's best batsmen.Overall sadly Barry would be rated marginally below the likes of Viv Richards ,Jack Hobbs or Sunil Gavaskar as he hardly had the opportunity to play at Intyernational level.Significantly Bradman rated Barry as the best bat of his time but this could have well been unfair to Viv Richards or Sunil Gavaskar.


Harsh on November 27, 2015, 5:07 GMT

Arguably no batsmen ever could blend batting technique and destructive strokeplay as perfectly as Barry Richards who could pulverize the best of bowling attacks like a bomber raiding an airbase but still display the methodology of a technician.Barry's strokes had the technical perfection of an architect,the power of a boxer and the creativity of a sculptor.Barry was debatably the closest to the perfect and most complete post-war batsmen. Barry even overshadowed fellow mate Viv Richards in world series Packer cricket when scoring 207 in 1977-78 in the final supertest and 125 in the supertest final in 1978-79.Barry averaged 79.16 in packer cricket,the highest by any batsmen.His domination in 1972 when averaging 109.86 in a first class season and scoring 1583 runs was like a re-incarnation of Bradman as well as his innings of 356 .Hade he had a proper test career I would have backed Barry to have been the best batsman after Bradman.


Bis on November 26, 2015, 22:04 GMT

Barry Richards was the greatest batsman I have ever seen. In a way there was a certain randomness and unpredictability about him because he had trouble motivating himself for county games day in and day out but you always felt that when he was in the mood or when there was a showcase for him like a match against a touring side or a battle against a world class bowler or a televised Sunday League match he would invariably do well. I saw him batting on TV on about 5 or 6 occasions in the Sunday League and he made hundreds in 3 of them. His 354 against a Western Australian attack including Dennis Lillee and Graham Mckenzie and his averages of over 70 in 4 tests and 5 World Series games shows what might have been. The tragedy of his exclusion from test cricket lends a tragic quality to his story and a romantic aura surrounds him in the cherished memories of those fortunate enough to have caught fleeting glimpses of his genius.

  • Part 1
    Play
  • Part 2
    Play
  • Part 3
    Play
  • Part 4
    Play
  • Part 5
    Play
  • Part 6
    Play
  • Part 7
    Play
  • Part 8
    Play
  • Part 9
    Play

Popular Videos

1

News and Analysis: Have India finalised their combination? Nagraj Gollapudi reports from The Oval

2

Match Day: Do Australia have an edge vs India in the WTC final?

3

T20 Time:Out: Manjrekar: Gill's game built on strong fundamentals

4

News and Analysis: Pitchside - Rahane asked to keep long-term prospects in mind

5

Features: Anil Kumble Piyush Chawla and Mushtaq Ahmed recall Shane Warnes ball of the century

6

Press Conference: Sai Sudharsan - After having to retire out I realised its best to be calm

Latest Videos

All Videos
  • Play 01:29

    हां या ना : आर अश्विन को प्लेइंग-XI से बाहर रखकर भारत ने बड़ी ग़लती कर दी

    Haan Ya Naa ऑस्ट्रेलिया और भारत के बीच WTC फ़ाइनल के पहले दिन से जुड़े सवालों पर संजय मांजरेकर का फ़ैसला | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 01:56

    Should India have picked Ashwin?

    Match Day Haddin says Ashwin is one of the best bowlers going around and Manjrekar points out bowling first was not a bad decision from India | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 08:15

    मांजरेकर : हरी पिच देखकर रोहित शर्मा भ्रम में आ गए लेकिन पिच में वैसा कुछ है नहीं

    Hindi ऑस्ट्रेलिया और भारत के बीच ओवल में खेले जा रहे WTC फ़ाइनल के पहले दिन का लेखा जोखा संजय मांजरेकर के साथ | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 02:01

    Manjrekar: Smith has tremendous self-confidence

    Match Day Brad Haddin also says how Head's knock nearly made Smith go unnoticed | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 01:51

    Haddin breaks down Head's high-risk game

    Match Day Sanjay Manjrekar also points out how Head improved his game during his century on Wednesday | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 01:44

    How differently do you read the pitch in England?

    Match Day Manjrekar and Haddin on whether India assessed the pitch correctly for their selection | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 02:01

    Haddin likens Head's style to Gilchrist's

    Match Day Sanjay Manjrekar also talks about Head's recipe for success | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 01:31
    South African cricketer Nadine de Klerk speaks to ESPN on how South Africa can take women's cricket to another level and

    Who will win the 2023 Women's Ashes?

    Interviews South African cricketer Nadine de Klerk speaks to ESPN on how South Africa can take women's cricket to another level and who she thinks is going to win the Women's Ashes. | Jun 7, 2023

  • Play 01:19

    Manjrekar: Thakur instinctively bowls to get wickets

    Match Day Instinct or luck? Sanjay Manjrekar explains Shardul Thakur's process | Jun 7, 2023

More From My XI

  • Play 02:57
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    County Championship

    Defending champions Essex off the mark

    Apr 22, 2018 Catch up with the latest from the County Championship, as Surrey's Ollie Pope makes a century at the Oval and Somerset secure victory

  • Play 04:14
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'Marshall is my No. 1 fast bowler'

    Jan 29, 2016 Part 11: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Malcolm Marshall was the most intelligent quick bowler ever

  • Play 03:45
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'He would just keep coming all day'

    Jan 26, 2016 Part ten: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Dennis Lillee had tremendous stamina and the ability to adapt to any condition

  • Play 05:22
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'You had to play Shane the bowler, and the man'

    Jan 19, 2016 Part nine: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Shane Warne bowled the best flipper, and he always tried to psyche out batsme...

  • Play 03:44
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'His ability to swing the ball late was phenomenal'

    Jan 12, 2016 Part eight: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Wasim Akram was effective both over and round the wicket and was very diffic...

  • Play 04:23
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'He was quirky as a batsman and keeper'

    Jan 5, 2016 Part seven: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Alan Knott stood out for his glovework and footwork, and he was an iconic pl...

  • Play 03:20
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'He had the best footwork I've seen'

    Dec 22, 2015 Part six: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Martin Crowe's ability to transfer his weight at the crease made him a difficu...

  • Play 04:29
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'An amazing record for 20-plus years'

    Dec 12, 2015 Part 4: Graham Gooch on Sachin Tendulkar, who bore the crushing weight of expectation masterfully for over two decades

  • Play 04:21
    Share
    • Share
    • Tweet
    My XI

    'If you wanted a player to bat for your life, Border would be it'

    Dec 12, 2015 Part five: Graham Gooch on his toughest competitors: Allan Border was not eye-catching but he was uncompromising and focused on wi...

Loading more content
  • Sitemap
  • Feedback
  • RSS
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Interest Based Ads
  • Your California Privacy Rights
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • About Nielsen Measurement
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices