As a young Wasim Akram, Vivian Richards recalls how he still gives him “nightmares” with his lightning-quick deliveries.
When Vivian Richards was a cricketer, he often had “nightmares” about specific players’ abilities, but he still had admiration for them, despite the fact that he had doubts about their abilities. A “very very special” player from his early days in international cricket, Richards described the late Pakistan bowler and captain Wasim Akram as “really very special.” Richards spoke to ESPNcricinfo about his battles with Wasim throughout the latter stages of his cricketing life.
On a cricket pitch, Richards once met what he called “one of the fastest deliveries I’ve ever seen.”
“It was one of the fastest deliveries I’ve ever had, and I believe someone was watching over me upstairs. Once again, the wicketkeeper’s gloves were clearly audible as the ball flew past me and I said, ‘Wow. Wow.’ Wasim was a young man just arriving on the scene, and I was on my way out the door, so it worked out perfectly that he arrived as I was leaving “Richards made the comment.
On the verge of retirement, and ex-West Indies all-rounder made light of the fact that he was spared the agony of facing Wasim Akram in international cricket because of the timing of his arrival on the scene at the conclusion of his career.
“The West Indies batters at the time, I remember saying to them, ‘Hey man, good luck to you guys, having to face that guy on a regular basis man.’ Wasim was a truly unique individual. I still see that delivery from time to time. When I think about it, I get a bad case of the jitters “he continued, adding.
