Watch: Viv Richards 189*, rest of West Indies 83, England 168 all-out
Watch: At Old Trafford in 1984, Viv Richards slammed a then world record 189 not out against England, arguably the greatest ODI innings of all time.
In the early noughties, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack released the Wisden 100, the top hundred bowling and batting performances in Test and ODI cricket in the previous century.
The ODI lists were updated until February 8, 2002. With a rating of 257.59, Viv Richards’ unbeaten 189 sat at the top of the list of best ODI innings.
Richards won the toss and opted to bat, and found himself walking out at 11-2 after Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge fell early.
By the 26th over, the mighty West Indians, who had won the first two World Cups and finished runners-up in the third – all in England – were reduced to 102-7. Not one of the seven batters had reached double figures.
England sniffed a chance on a surface the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack considered to be “of little help to the faster bowlers but allowed [Geoff] Miller generous turn with his off-breaks.”
Richards finally found support in Eldine Baptiste, who made 26 in an eighth-wicket stand of 59. Joel Garner perished five runs later, and at 166-9 with 14 overs to go, England seemed set to take lead in the series.
But the tenth wicket never fell. As Richards cut loose, Michael Holding faced for 27 balls for his 12 unbeaten runs. At the other end, Richards nearly doubled his score, racing from 96 to finish unbeaten on 189: it would remain the highest ODI score until 1997.
In all, he hit 21 fours and five sixes, including a straight drive out of the ground at the Warwick Road End, and punched the air as he left the ground, Holding in tow.
The West Indians amassed 272-9, England collapsed to 168, lost the ODI series 1-2, and were famously whitewashed 0-5 in the Tests.
