King Pietersen
ICC Board Member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2006
- Location
- Manchester
Alot of the comparison threads we've had in this part of the forum have evoked some fantastic discussion, with the argument swaying both ways, but they've all had 1 thing in common, they've been players from 2 different countries, and have therefore been prone to country bias. I thought it was time we had a true comparison, to discover which of these 2 fine batsman was in fact the better of the 2.
On the one hand you've got Sir Vivian Richards, the king of domination. A man feared by opposition bowling attacks with the ability and hand-eye co-ordination that's yet to be matched by anyone. Richards had 1 mindset, attack. He would single handedly destroy bowling attack after bowling attack. He not only possessed fantastic power and brilliant stroke-play, but played with a sense of arrogance that made the opposition bowlers even more frustrated with his onslaught. Richards is also a world record holder, that record being the Fastest Test Hundred. It took Richards just 56 balls against an attack that included his good friend Sir Ian Botham.
Then on the other you've got Brian Charles Lara, the king of concentration. A man who could frustrate bowling attacks for hours on end, making the bowlers feel he was impossible to dislodge. He recorded 3 world record scores, 2 Test records with scores of 375 and 400* and also a First Class Record with a massive score of 501*. Lara possessed the same West Indian flair as Richards, with his huge flowing back-lift and fantastic eye. Lara had the ability it seemed to be able to place the ball into any gap he saw fit, frustrating not only bowlers, but captains in equal measure.
Their Test Records aren't too dissimilar, both averaging over 50, both having over 20 Test hundreds, both making well in excess of 8000 runs. They also both had fantastic ODi records, making 30 hundreds between them, both averaging over 40 and both with incredibly decent strike rates. Lets have a closer look at the Stats:
Tests:
Sir Viv Richards: 121 Matches, 8540 runs at an average of 50.23 with 24 hundreds and 45 fifties with a top score of 291
Brian Lara: 131 Matches, 11953 runs at an average of 52.88 with 34 hundreds and 48 fifties with a top score of 400*
ODi's:
Sir Viv Richards: 187 Matches, 6721 runs at an average of 47 with 11 hundreds and 45 fifties, a top score of 189*and a strike rate of 90.20
Brian Lara: 299 Matches, 10405 runs at an average of 40.48 with 19 hundreds and 63 fifties, a top score of 169 and a strike rate of 79.51
Incredibly even stats those. For me personally though, I cannot look past Sir Viv. He just had that swagger and arrogance that I enjoy watching in Kevin Pietersen, but with more talent. He just destroyed attacks seemingly at will, and his ODi record stands up to anyone currently playing the game, which considering he started at the very early days of ODi cricket is a testament to the mans ability. Lara's a fantastic player and achieved a hell of alot in the game, but for me Sir Vivian Richards is surpassed by only Sir Donald Bradman when it comes to the great batsmen in the history of the game.
Your views? I hope this is as even as I expect it to be.
On the one hand you've got Sir Vivian Richards, the king of domination. A man feared by opposition bowling attacks with the ability and hand-eye co-ordination that's yet to be matched by anyone. Richards had 1 mindset, attack. He would single handedly destroy bowling attack after bowling attack. He not only possessed fantastic power and brilliant stroke-play, but played with a sense of arrogance that made the opposition bowlers even more frustrated with his onslaught. Richards is also a world record holder, that record being the Fastest Test Hundred. It took Richards just 56 balls against an attack that included his good friend Sir Ian Botham.
Then on the other you've got Brian Charles Lara, the king of concentration. A man who could frustrate bowling attacks for hours on end, making the bowlers feel he was impossible to dislodge. He recorded 3 world record scores, 2 Test records with scores of 375 and 400* and also a First Class Record with a massive score of 501*. Lara possessed the same West Indian flair as Richards, with his huge flowing back-lift and fantastic eye. Lara had the ability it seemed to be able to place the ball into any gap he saw fit, frustrating not only bowlers, but captains in equal measure.
Their Test Records aren't too dissimilar, both averaging over 50, both having over 20 Test hundreds, both making well in excess of 8000 runs. They also both had fantastic ODi records, making 30 hundreds between them, both averaging over 40 and both with incredibly decent strike rates. Lets have a closer look at the Stats:
Tests:
Sir Viv Richards: 121 Matches, 8540 runs at an average of 50.23 with 24 hundreds and 45 fifties with a top score of 291
Brian Lara: 131 Matches, 11953 runs at an average of 52.88 with 34 hundreds and 48 fifties with a top score of 400*
ODi's:
Sir Viv Richards: 187 Matches, 6721 runs at an average of 47 with 11 hundreds and 45 fifties, a top score of 189*and a strike rate of 90.20
Brian Lara: 299 Matches, 10405 runs at an average of 40.48 with 19 hundreds and 63 fifties, a top score of 169 and a strike rate of 79.51
Incredibly even stats those. For me personally though, I cannot look past Sir Viv. He just had that swagger and arrogance that I enjoy watching in Kevin Pietersen, but with more talent. He just destroyed attacks seemingly at will, and his ODi record stands up to anyone currently playing the game, which considering he started at the very early days of ODi cricket is a testament to the mans ability. Lara's a fantastic player and achieved a hell of alot in the game, but for me Sir Vivian Richards is surpassed by only Sir Donald Bradman when it comes to the great batsmen in the history of the game.
Your views? I hope this is as even as I expect it to be.
), but from the stuff I've seen and heard of him, the scorecards and the stats, he was incredible. If he were playing today, he'd be averaging 60 in ODIs with a strike rate of 120+. And he wouldn't even be trying.
