Sir Viv Richards is known for his fearless strokeplay against some of the best bowlers in the world. He has been relentless with the bat throughout his career and hence, is given a lot of respect.
In the 1987 World Cup, he played a knock of 181 runs against Sri Lanka, which blew the minds of the viewers. In just 125 balls, he scored the knock which was quite amazing to watch. He hit 16 boundaries and five sixes, helping West Indies win the game. He was also awarded the Player of the Match award for his dangerous batting.
On winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to field first, letting the West Indies take on the field first. This was their worst mistake as West Indies went on to score 360 runs at the loss of four wickets.
Along with Richards, opener Desmond Haynes scored a century. He scored 105 runs off 124 balls, including 10 boundaries and one six. He gave the perfect start to the team, and later Sir Richards transformed it with his bat. He smashed the bowlers all over the park with some classical cricketbook shots.
When Sri Lanka came to bat, the top order collapsed, and none of the players could bat well. Only Arjuna Ranatunga scored a half-century while the other batters couldn’t even touch the 40-run mark.
It was an embarrassing loss for Sri Lanka as they lost the game by 191 runs. The margin was huge, but the reason was their batting. Sri Lanka lost only four wickets but played the entire 50 overs. Carl Hooper took two wickets and was the standout bowler of the match.
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