Sir Viv Richards is happy that Brendon McCullum has broken his fastest-century record
Sunday 21 February 2016 12:19, UK
All-time great Sir Viv Richards says he is delighted that Brendon McCullum has broken his record for the fastest century in Test match history.
And Richards thinks McCullum is just the sort of player to hold the record because of his 'beautiful' approach to the game.
Always a dynamic batsman, McCullum hit new heights in Christchurch on Saturday, as what will be his last ever Test match got underway.
Facing an Australia attack who had reduced New Zealand to 32-3, Black Caps captain McCullum came in and smashed his way to a hundred off just 54 balls, before he was eventually dismissed for 145.
That was two balls fewer than the previous record, which had been held by West Indies legend Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq of Pakistan.
Richards, who is currently in Dubai mentoring a team in the Pakistan Super League, said on Saturday: "Let me take this opportunity to congratulate McCullum.
"I have been a fan of yours for many years, so well done on your achievement.
"If there was going to be an individual who you would have liked to surpass whatever you have achieved in life, certainly it would have been you.
"You are a great ambassador and make the game beautiful."
Richards scored his record-setting hundred against England in his hometown of Antigua back in 1986.
"You never really set yourself out to do such a thing but the situation at that particular time did demand that," he said.
"To have done that before your home crowd is a marvellous achievement and it's something that I think you would remember for quite some time.
"Whenever you are going well, you back yourself, and I had always believed I could do that.
"When you are captain you give yourself the licence to throw your bat and be as aggressive as you can be. That's what happened in the end."
Like McCullum and Richards, Misbah was captain when he scored his record ton, against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014.
"That was a marvellous achievement from Misbah," said Richards. "Now we are tied second, so you can never ever forget what Brendon has achieved.
"I have always said that he has an aggressive style and it beautifies the game we all love."
Watch day two of the second Test between New Zealand and Australia from 9.30pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 2.
