Sir Viv Richards, the Master Blaster, on his route to becoming the most box-office batsman ever to have played the game.

First published in issue 27 of Wisden Cricket Monthly

My dad was a cricketer, he played for Antigua and Barbuda, and having someone of that stature in the family was all the inspiration that I needed. Attitude plays a huge part: never to have fear, to believe in what you are doing. These were the skills available to me at home and I took them on board.

When I left school I worked as a waiter at Kensington Restaurant on St Mary’s Street in Antigua. The guy who ran it was a cricket lover and he liked having me around. In a way it was a place that prepared me for what I needed to be – I didn’t want to be there for the rest of my life. Things got much better, you could say.

England was a great place to be as a young cricketer, getting used to different conditions. I’d grown up listening to the West Indies touring England and hearing the late John Arlott describe what cricket was all about at Lord’s and these places. As a little boy from the Caribbean, you take that on board. Some of what I heard still lives with me today.

I adore the things that I have achieved with the West Indies. People have always talked about bad relations between the islands, but we assembled a unit. Collectively, the players put together a brilliant team from all the islands, and that sent a message to the people of the West Indies.

If you talk about achievements, winning the World Cup in 1975 was a magnificent feeling. The memories of returning home still bring a lump to my throat. Then we did it again in 1979, and this time, because we knew how much joy it was bringing to folks back home, it gave us that little bit extra. Those two victories really helped the islands to integrate. That makes me proud.

We’re all here for a period of time and there’s nothing you or me can do about it. We’re doing shift work, you see, and some people make good use of their time at the crease, and some don’t. I realised when it was time to move on, and I was comfortable in doing so. I am just happy to have played a part.

First published in issue 27 of Wisden Cricket Monthly. Subscribe here