Not AB de Villiers: Tabraiz Shamsi picks West Indies legend as his favorite batter

South African ace spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has named the legendary West Indies cricketer Sir Viv Richards as his all-time favorite cricketer. Shamsi was really impressed by the daring shown by the Antigua legend during his illustrious career.

The Proteas spinner has recently conducted a Q&A session on the social media platform X for his fans, and when a user asked about his favorite batter, Tabraiz Shamsi did not simply name Viv Richards but revealed why he is the biggest fan of the legendary batter.

Tabraiz Shamsi picks Viv Richards as his all-time favorite cricketer for his fearless approach

Actually, former England all-rounder and captain Chris Cowdrey had once revealed that he was proud to be appointed as the captain in Test cricket but was left just speechless after meeting the legendary and fearless Richards at the toss, and even he could complete the name of his playing XI.

Cowdrey had said in a statement: “I was very proud of being appointed as England captain. I went for the toss wearing my whites and England blazer. Viv Richards came out wearing a Bob Marley T-shirt, surfing shorts, and flip-flops. As England captain, you should read out the team sheet to the opposing captain. I got no further than four names when Viv Richards said, ‘Play who you want, man. Ain’t going to make any difference’.”

Sharing the clip of this statement on X, Tabraiz Shamsi replied to the user by saying, “The main man, VIV RICHARDS,” referring to the legendary batter being confident about the outcome and unfazed by the opposition's team. His fearless approach made him one of the most dangerous batters the game has ever seen.

Here's Tabraiz Shamsi's post -

The main man VIV RICHARDS 😎 https://t.co/SMtYqRFFRU pic.twitter.com/o6os8AhuJu

— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) September 6, 2024

Notably, Viv Richards and the West Indies cricket team of the late 1970s and 1980s showed how to dominate international cricket. Richards, one of the greatest batters in history, played a key role in the West Indies' unparalleled success in his era.

With his aggressive style and fearless approach on the field, Richards set new standards for batting, terrorizing bowlers with his blistering strokes and unmatched confidence. Under the leadership of Clive Lloyd and later Richards himself, the West Indies became an unconquerable force in both Test and ODI cricket.

Their fast-bowling attack consisting of legends like Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and Michael Holding, combined with Richards' batting genius, led the West Indies to its best supremacy in the game. The West Indies won two consecutive Cricket World Cups in 1975 and 1979 while dominating Test cricket with a long, unbeaten streak.

Richards' era remains a golden chapter in cricket history, where the West Indies were the undisputed kings of the game till the 80s. On the other hand, Shamsi is currently out of the South Africa team. He last played for South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 against India in June.

However, Tabraiz Shamsi could play only two Tests for the Proteas side and take four wickets. The left-arm wrist spinner has so far played 51 ODIs and 70 T20Is, taking 72 and 89 wickets, respectively.