Legends Month: The best of Viv

In Wisden's Top 100 ODI Innings, a list released back in 2002, the unbeaten 189 scored by Viv Richards against England in 1984 earned top billing.

And even by his own lofty standards, Richards' performance on that day was something special, a knock that solidified the Caribbean king's reputation as the most damaging batsman on the planet.

Perhaps ever.

Of course, by May 31, 1984, Viv had already strutted his stuff on the international stage for years, in both Tests and ODIs.

Of the top 10 scores in ODI history at the time, he had three – though his name wasn't top of the tree.

Clearly the great West Indian saw the need to change that. And on one special day at Old Trafford, he did exactly that.

In the first of a three-match series against England, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd won the toss and elected to bat.

His all-conquering team fell apart over the next 26 overs, slipping to 7-102 as the entire top eight – excluding Richards – was dismissed without reaching double figures.

From that point, the Antiguan took it upon himself to push his team toward a defendable total, taking on an attack boasting legends Bob Willis and Ian Botham in the process.

Ultimately, he pushed the Windies towards a total that was well beyond 'defendable'.

Eldine Baptiste provided moderate support, contributing 26 in a 59-run stand for the eighth wicket, however when Botham accounted for him, and Joel Garner fell shortly afterward, Richards' only company was No.11 Michael Holding.

The score at that point was 9-166, with 14 overs left in the innings.

Richards clearly felt the need for speed.

He picked up a Botham offering and dispatched it over mid-wicket for six and followed it up with a tracer bullet over long off for six more.

Another over the head of the man on the deep backward square fence yielded the same result.

And on it went.

Twenty-one fours, five sixes and a blur of destruction and pure power hitting.

In all, the pair added an unbeaten 106 for the final wicket (a world record that stands today), of which Holding made 12.

Richards finished unbeaten on 189, and in his wake came the West Indies, all the way to 9-272.

His 69.48 per cent contribution to the team innings is another ODI record that is still to be surpassed, while his record score took almost 13 years to be toppled.

West Indies won the match in a canter; Garner, Holding and Malcolm Marshall reduced the England top order to rubble and the home side eventually folded for 168.

Ironically, that total might have been enough if not for Viv; it was two runs more than the Windies had been when Richards was joined by Holding, and the back half of perhaps the greatest ODI knock of them all was played out.

- a version of this story was first published in May, 2017