Viv Richards
Brian Lara
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Brian Lara leads 3 of 3 categories. Our all-time ranking places Viv Richards at #6 and Brian Lara at #8.
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The case for Viv Richards
Vivian Richards was the most intimidating batsman of his generation, a swaggering strokemaker who never wore a helmet even against the fastest bowling. He scored 8,540 Test runs at 50.23 and 6,721 in ODIs, and in 1976 alone he plundered 1,710 Test runs, a calendar-year record that stood for decades. His 56-ball century against England in 1986, still among the fastest in Tests, captured his disdain for bowlers. As the batting heart of the West Indies side that went fifteen years unbeaten in Test series, Richards blended Caribbean flair with ruthless dominance, walking to the crease chewing gum with an air of total authority. He later captained the team without losing a series. More than his numbers, it was the psychological ascendancy he held over every attack that marks him among the greatest and most feared batsmen ever.
The case for Brian Lara
Brian Lara was cricket's supreme record-breaker and its most thrilling big-innings player. The left-hander holds the highest individual Test score, 400 not out against England in 2004, and the highest first-class score, 501 not out for Warwickshire in 1994, the only man to reclaim the Test record after losing it. He scored 11,953 Test runs with 34 centuries, nine of them over 150, and averaged over 52 while often carrying a weak West Indies batting order. His high backlift and explosive strokeplay made even world-class attacks look ordinary; his 153 not out to beat Australia at Bridgetown in 1999 is regarded as one of the greatest match-winning innings ever played. Lara scored with a speed and audacity that set him apart from his contemporaries, and on his day no batsman was more capable of dominating a Test single-handedly.