He walked to the wicket with that characteristic swagger, ready to confront the enemy, opposing bowlers, on his terms. He asked for no quarter and he gave none. More often than not, this cricketing gladiator ransacked and conquered.
That was hardly the image evoked on Friday at the cricket stadium, in his native Antigua, named in honour of the Great Man. What unfolded was a hapless and shameful display of ineptitude that brought no credit to the name of Viv Richards, West Indies cricket, or our capacity in the Caribbean to manage.
Game abandoned
After a mere one over and four balls into the second Test match between England and the West Indies, the game was abandoned, to be reconvened today at the Antigua Recreation Ground in the Antiguan capital of St John's. And it didn't happen because of the usual reasons why cricket matches are halted or abandoned. It didn't rain.
The problem was that the West Indies fast bowlers could not find firm purchase on the sandy surface during their run-up, and so could not deliver at full pace lest they risk injury. In that regard, the action taken by the match officials was right, just as it was painful to watch the television images, beamed around the world, of ground staff lifting several inches of sand from prescribed areas.
The absurdity of the affair might actually have been funny had it not been but another display of the utter incompetence in the management of West Indies cricket and the state of governance in these Caribbean territories.
The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground is only two years old. Its physical facilities are grand, but the ground, it was clear at the time it opened for the ICC World Cup, had not been properly laid. Drainage was a problem. So, it was relaid. This weekend's Test was to be its unveiling. Therein lies the absurdity.
Clearly, this work was not completed with sufficient time or, apparently, skill, to be ready for this game. There could have been no serious evaluation of its fitness for first-class, much more Test-match cricket. Or, if there was, there was gross inadequacy on the part of those who pronounced it ready. In which case, the blame rests squarely with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which is headquatered in Antigua, and whose responsibility it is to approve the region's Test-match venues.
The embarrassment
What is particularly galling is that there were issues with the fitness of the ground ahead of the match. Both teams were not allowed to practise there because of concerns over the outfield - the same problem that caused the abandonment. Alternatives could have been contemplated.
The embarrassment, however, is not only the WICB. The Antigua government invested expensively in development and upkeep of this stadium and its officials ought to have been aware of the state of the field. Clearly, what happened was a failure of management, which is too common across the Caribbean.
It is legitimate, we feel, to ask about our chances of pulling through this harsh global environment if we can't get it right with a cricket stadium.
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