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Barry Richards









Travels From:
Perth

Fee Range: E


A right-handed opening batsman, Richards performed with equal success in South Africa, England and Australia.

Unfortunately, Richards played in only four tests before falling victim to the apartheid policies of the South African government, with the country being banned from international cricket in 1970.

He excelled in his only series as South Africa swept aside a powerful Australian team that included the likes of Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell,

In 1971 during a provincial match, Richards was one of the players who staged a walk-off in protest against the government's apartheid policies

Denied a role on cricket's highest stage, Richards joined Kerry Packer's breakaway World Series Cricket in 1977. This gave him the opportunity to test himself against the world's top players, and once again he showed his best when faced with the best, compiling 554 runs at the superb average of 79.

The former Natal and Springbok opening batsman was named as one of South Africa's cricketers of the twentieth century at the end of the previous millennium.

One of the highest compliments bestowed upon Richards came from the greatest player ever, Sir Donald Bradman, who described Richards as "the world's best-ever right-handed opener". He backed that up by including Richards in his best ever team, published after his death. Enough said.