Barry Richards

Barry Anderson Richards (born 21 July 1945) is a former South African batsman. A right-handed "talent of such enormous stature", Richards is considered one of South Africa's most successful cricketers. He was able to play only four Test matches – all against Australia – before South Africa's exclusion from the international scene in 1970. Even in that brief career, against a competitive Australian attack, Richards scored 508 runs at the high average of 72.57. Richards' contribution in that series was instrumental in the 4–0 win that South Africa inflicted on the side, captained by Bill Lawry. His first century, 140, was scored in conjunction with Graeme Pollock's 274 in a famous 103-run partnership.

With such limited international exposure, Richards plied his trade in first class cricket between 1964 and 1983, becoming a prolific batsman with 28,358 runs. He scored 80 centuries, including a best of 356, at an overall average of 54.74. He also scored 8,506 one day runs, with 16 further centuries. Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1969, Richards scored runs for Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Natal, South Australia, Transvaal and in World Series Cricket, and has been described as "one of the finest talents of the 20th century" further to which "the merest suggestion that he does not belong among the definitive all-time greats will spark violence in most bars in South Africa."

Richards was born in Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa and attended Clifton Preparatory School and the Durban High School and for many years played club cricket for DHS Old Boys' Club. He played in the Natal Nuffield week side from 1961 to 1964, and for South African schools from 1962 to 1964, scoring a century against the Western Province first class team. The national selectors had their eyes on him early, and he played for a South African Colts XI against the touring MCC side in 1964–65, scoring 63, and later in the tour for an Invitation XI. When the Australians toured in 1966–67, he scored 107 in 160 minutes for a strong South African XI against them before the First Test, but despite several failures by the top-order batsmen in the Test series, he was unable to break into the national side.