South Africa batting great Barry Richards gave an controversy suggestion on use of artificial substance to shine the ball instead of saliva. Experts gave an idea of sanitising cricket balls and using artificial substances to shine the ball due to the temporary ban on saliva where Barry not too pleased with this suggestion.
“If you try to sanitise every germ out of this world, you’re never going to do it. You can sanitise the ball, but it will go into the crowd, there’s somebody there who hasn’t washed his hands… so it’s ridiculous. Just shine the ball and get on with it. The way they’re going now, are they saying they should sanitize the pads, helmets?” he said on the YouTube show Fan Play-Sports Ruler ‘Inside Out With Baggs’.
“We’ve been with germs forever. If you try to sanitise the whole world, it’s a waste of time.”
When the 74-year-old was asked to pick a batsman to play for his life, he gave three choices.
“To win a game it would be Viv Richards, somebody to draw the game it would be someone like a VVS Laxman or Geoff Boycott, somebody to watch… I love watching Brian Lara bat.”
Richards, considered to be one of the greatest batsmen from South Africa, picked former English skipper Mike Brearley was the best captain of his era.
Comparing the captains of his era to former India captain MS Dhoni, he said: “Captains of my era are a little bit different. They had less pressure from the media than they do today.
“(Mike) Brearley was always a very impressive captain. He might not have been the best player but a very impressive captain. He got the best out of the players. So in my era he would probably be the best captain.”
Richards said if he had an opportunity, he would ask Dhoni what his interests are outside cricket.
“Serious question to ask MS Dhoni…he has got a lovely attitude to cricket. So probably, I would ask him what his interests are outside of cricket, I would really like to know that.”
The former South African batsman picked Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers as the best contemporary batsmen in world cricket.
On five bowlers of the current generation who would have troubled top batsmen of his era, he said, “Obviously Mitchell Starc would. If you play in India, then R Ashwin would obviously be very challenging.
“Jimmy Anderson, swing bowler…Trent Boult, he is a pretty handy bowler…if you are playing in Cape Town, I think Vernon Philander would definitely be in the mix.”
Richards also felt it will be tough for cricketers to motivate themselves when they return from the COVID-19 induced break.
“It will be tough for them to motivate themselves. Sometimes it will work in reverse. If you haven’t played something for a long time, you miss it and you become very keen. So, when they get on to the park, I think sometimes you can get ahead of yourself,” Richards said.
“You are so keen to do well that you lose your focus on what has worked for you. You are stepping too fast. They might have to take a breath and say what was working for me before lockdown and what will work for me now.”
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