Watch part one of our series on West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards as Mark Butcher looks at Master Blaster's fledgling career
Sunday 12 July 2020 13:10, UK
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Viv struck over 8,500 Test runs at an average in excess of 50 and amassed over 6,700 in ODI cricket at an average of 47, hitting 35 hundreds across the two international formats he played.
The Master Blaster helped West Indies dominate Test cricket in the 1970s and 1980s and win two World Cup titles, with Viv striking a majestic 138 not out in the 1979 final against England.
A few years ago, Mark Butcher travelled to Viv's native Antigua to chat to the man himself and find out about the legend's life.
We begin with episode one, Son of St John's - which you can watch in the video at the top of the page - as Butch examines Viv's upbringing and early cricketing career.
Mark catches up with Viv and his brother Mervyn, who tell us about their parents, how Viv's talent was spotted early on and how the church, not cricket, took precedence on Sundays.
Viv says that being from a small island made him more determined to take any opportunity he was given and reveals how playing cricket as a youngster toughened him up and made him play like a matador.
It wasn't all plain sailing for The Master Blaster, though, who explains how he managed three ducks in the same game and was given a two-year ban from cricket for a show of dissent.
