Barry Richards

South African batsman widely considered one of the greatest of the post-war era, whose international career was limited to just four Tests due to his country's isolation under apartheid.

Born on 21 July 1945, Barry Richards made his Test debut for South Africa in 1970 against Australia, immediately announcing himself as a batsman of rare class. In his second Test, he scored 140 off just 116 balls, combining with Graeme Pollock's 274 in a legendary 103-run stand remembered as one of the most spectacular hours of batting ever seen on South African soil. Richards finished his brief Test career with 508 runs from four matches at a remarkable average of 72.57, having helped South Africa complete a 4-0 whitewash of a strong Australian side. However, South Africa's exclusion from international cricket later in 1970, due to the apartheid policies of its government, meant Richards never played Test cricket again. Denied the international stage, Richards channelled his talent into an extraordinary first-class career, scoring 28,358 runs at an average of 54.74 across 339 matches, including 80 centuries and nine hundreds scored before lunch. He excelled for Hampshire in English county cricket, where his 1968 season yielded 1,538 runs in just ten matches at an average of 109.80, earning him Wisden's Cricketer of the Year award. In 1971, Richards joined Graeme Pollock and Mike Procter in a symbolic protest, walking off the field after a single ball during an exhibition match to express support for non-white players touring internationally. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009, and remains a poignant symbol of a golden generation of South African cricketers whose careers were cut short by politics.

Elegant, technically complete batsman with rare timing and shot-making range

Widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen never to have a full international career