BARRY RICHARDS --- WIZARD IN THE WILDERNESS

Barry Richards was arguably the greatest opening batsman the world has ever seen with no less than Sir Donald Bradman vouching for his excellence. A gifted South African of that mercurial team of Ali Bacher, Barry Richards could showcase his formidable talent in only four Test matches played against the touring Australian team in 1970 when he scored two scintillating centuries to secure the appreciation of critics worldwide. Then came the ban on South African cricket for the government's policy of apartheid and Richards fell into the shade of county cricket in England and for a season Sheffield Shield cricket in Australia while lesser mortals kept playing the game and getting accolades.

But the legend of Barry Richards kept building up as he kept on producing brilliant hundreds and double and triple hundreds against quality opposition, be it the visiting cricketing nations in England or the strong county sides replete with foreign acquisition to bolster their ranks, when Richards produced his masterful knocks against them to cement his place in cricketing history.

But the best was yet to be. Finally, Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in Australia gave him the opportunity to test his mettle alongside the best players of the world, albeit a trifle late, for Barry Richards was now well past his prime. But as usual, the mercurial South African was at his best when the occasion demanded and produced a string of scintillating knocks yet again, and for the last time, to carve out for himself a permanent niche in the hearts of fans and a luminous place in the history of cricket.

After Don Bradman's death in 1999 the dream team that had earlier been selected by him which was dubbed 'Bradman's Best' was found to have named Barry Richards as one of the opening batsmen with Arthur Morris his opening partner. The Don had evidently chosen a left-right combination and had given pride of place to Barry Richards as his choice of his right-handed opener. What more needs to be said about Barry Richards than that he was, in the estimation of Sir Donald, the numero uno opening batsman with his rare blend of aggression, an immaculate defence, a perfect technique and the natural ability to score fast and dominate the bowling?

There is then Barry Richards for us, the legendary South African batsman with his repertoire of strokes and tales which never saw the light of day but which remain embedded in the hearts and minds of those who were privileged enough to witness his batting, a veritable virtuoso of batsmanship who will remain etched in our memory as the genius that walked not the cricket green as often as his merit warranted and who had to live with this terrible sense of denial and devastation.

Glory unto Graeme Pollock, Eddie Barlow, Mike Proctor and Barry Richards. But for you cricket would have been poorer and with you too the politics of the times made cricket the poorer for it. Hail batsmanship at its highest, thou never did witness the maestro in full flow, what a tragedy, what a shame!