Sir Viv Richards on racism, rubbing shoulders with Botham and Hurricane Higgins, and Scotland’s chances at the T20 World Cup

The king is in his castle. Or, more precisely, a trendy bar near Duke Street in Glasgow. Sir Vivian Richards awaits tributes from hundreds of fans.

He passes the time by making astute, dignified and frankly shocking statements to the hoi polloi of the press. An audience with the 72-year-old cricket legend is as spellbinding as his performances for the West Indies as a batsman so cavalier he could have come to the crease on a charger and disdained his cap for a hat with a jaunty feather.

There is of course more to this man. He opposed racism, looking at it with the same cold eye that chilled fast bowlers.

He speaks about racism in cricket with a power reminiscent of his cover campaign. But there is also evil in the king. He can talk about fish dinners at Forthill, salmon fishing with Ian Botham and a round of golf with Alex Higgins. He may also pay tribute to an Airdrie supporter who was his friend and died at his home in Antigua.

It’s a lot to take in as Sir Viv prepares to speak on stage to help raise awareness of tourism in Antigua, the island where Scotland will play in the World T20 in June at a stadium named after the great man.

The most pressing topic is racism in cricket and he is gently optimistic about progress being made following the scandals in the game in Scotland and Yorkshire. But he knows how it used to be. He was there.

Richards (right) speaking at an event in Glasgow to promote tourism to Antigua

“I hope cricket continues. Who needs this in the sport we play? For me, as long as you are given life, you are equal,” he says.

“I experienced that,” he says of the racist abuse. “I went to Headingley and was on the ground when they threw banana peels at you.

“I will share this with you. We were playing a semi-final match against Yorkshire at Headingley. Crowded crowd. I understand it as a Black person, in the crowd, in part of the crowd. I remember Yorkshire got a total and we were struggling, but I started to do well. I took one, took the lid off. The referee, for some reason, didn’t hear him.

“I am a person who has always walked, always walked. Because of the nature of the fans, I decided I was going to stay there, man. I was about 60 years old and I nicked it and David Bairstow (Yorkshire wicketkeeper) was going berserk saying, ‘Effing cheat’. “I told him, ‘You guys are okay. This one is not for you. This is for the exasperated fans you have sitting in the crowd.”

‘We won the game. I went bang, bang. Game, set and match. They had a lynching waiting for me at the back of Headingley. It didn’t bother me. But that’s sometimes how it happened. ‘

There is another story. He remembers speaking to a Yorkshire cricketer he “once respected”. Richards refuses to mention his name because the person is deceased. But he says he wondered why Yorkshire didn’t have many players of Asian origin.

“This individual turned to me and said, ‘Can you imagine, Viv, how the room stinks of curry on a Sunday’? That tells you. He is, however, happy with the changes at Yorkshire. “I’m happy to see where they are now,” he said. He shakes his head. “Sport doesn’t need all that. Life in general doesn’t need it.

He is not commenting on any issues in Scotland, probably because the controversy over institutionalized racism at Cricket Scotland, revealed in an independent report two years ago, is not a subject he is familiar with, if at all at all.

The legend made his final Test appearance at the Oval in 1991.

Richards with his great friend Ian Botham enjoying a day at the beach

Her weary memory of abuse and her gentle optimism provide context for a problem that is being addressed, if not overcome.

Richards also retains the capacity to surprise, whether in tales of tragedy or triumph. Asked about Glasgow, he immediately recalls that “a good friend” was from Airdrie and a Diamonds fan. The mirth aroused by this revelation suddenly turns into silence when he adds: “He is no longer among us.”

Richards adds: “When I first went to Taunton, as someone coming from the Caribbean to a new environment, I decided I wanted to go to the cinema. This guy was there and came to introduce himself. That was it.’ The man was Peter “Jock” McCombe, who was a “fixer” for Richards and his friend and teammate, Ian Botham. “It’s unfortunate the way his life ended as he passed away while on holiday in Antigua at my home. He was only 43. He was a huge Airdrie fan. He went to one of the resorts, came back and that’s it.

“He was involved in cricket. Everything we wanted to do, he took care of it, especially with such a busy schedule, having such a person was so cool. He was someone in life that you cherished.

The great cricketer remembers the consequences of this sudden death. “When I got home, I remember being able to see the evidence about the ambulance and so on.”

The mood changes dramatically as Richards is pressed to recall more optimistic memories of Scotland. There is the story of Forthill’s match against Forfar in July 1980. It included a game of tennis and fish dinners. Richards was called up from the first when West Indies were in batting trouble. The latter was the emergency culinary replacement when Clive Lloyd, the West Indian captain, said his boys didn’t like a salad.

Richards has difficulty remembering the precise details but suggests that both items are true. “It could happen,” he said of the tennis court summons. “Richie (Sir Richard Richardson) used to get involved in these long games of tennis with me, so that might have been the case.” And the meal? Told that he had scored 69 runs and the Windies had won by 80 runs, he said: “The fish supper must have worked.

He is equally cheerful when recalling salmon fishing with Botham on the Tay and golfing with Higgins at a pro-am at St Andrews. Angling was not a joy. “It was boring with the long rubber boots,” he says. “I’m waiting for a bite.” What I appreciated more than anything else was that when Ian caught something, it was always the best to eat. When you eat something that someone else catches, it tastes better than yours.

And coming into contact with the chaos caused by Hurricane Higgins? “Yes, I played with him. Oh, man. God bless his soul, he was a lively guy,” he said of the Northern Irishman who died in 2010.

“Later, because I had met him, I followed his career, I saw him at the pool table and I saw how agitated he was. He was like that on the golf course. He couldn’t stay still. He moved everywhere. He was a complex personality but I found him a nice man.

Legends Botham and Richard at a 2015 New Zealand golf event

The great hitter of a cricket ball, however, was chastised by the game featuring the smaller variety. “Golf certainly humbles you,” he says. “You think because you’re a ball player you can do the same thing. The ball is stationary, so you can hit it wherever you want. You’d think it would be easier, but it’s not. I have so much respect for golfers.

It’s time to bring the big man back to cricket and the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup which will be hosted in West Indies and USA in June.

He thinks Scotland have a chance to strike. “It’s great to see teams from the so-called lower ranks and know where they are,” he says. “I think the dimension of the game has changed a lot. The introduction of T20 has given more teams – teams that are not normally favored – the chance to also take part in a one-dayer. If the other team doesn’t show up, they may have a chance. T20 provides an opportunity for something to happen. Teams not really imagined can create a surprise. We have seen it many times. There are times when they will be able to do it. And Scotland got to Antigua beating some teams, so it’s all good.

“The only thing we have to protect your men from is that I know you produce the best whiskey in the world here, but in Antigua. we produce some of the best rums in the world. You guys need to be careful.

The West Indies, in cricketing terms, suffered a long-term hangover from the great sides of the 1970s and 1980s who reeked of distilled genius.

“I honestly believe we created a legacy, a serious legacy, and that legacy has deteriorated somewhat along the way,” Richards says. “Now we have the T20 tournaments which give us the opportunity to show our faces a little more. Not perhaps in test matches. Any limited tournament will be acceptable, but we still have work to do on the longer form.

With this, the king’s court must move on. Another audience is waiting. As he stands regally, there is more than a glimpse of the wonderful athlete from the past. He looks more than fine.

” Thank goodness for that. I am very grateful and do my best to stay as fit as possible. It is important. I always say you look at ex-athletes and people can say, ‘That guy used to play sports’ and he looks…’ He makes an expression suggesting someone out of shape.

“I do my best,” he said. He always did it, whether facing racists, fast bowlers or fish dinners. It was always more than enough.