I first saw him in the flesh during Packer’s World Series Supertest at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1979. He didn’t make all that many, 40-odd if I recall on the day I was there, but his stay in the middle was unforgettable. Of all the West Indian players on show I found him the easiest to spot, despite the presence of giants like Joel Garner and Colin Croft. Vividly etched in my mind were the Antiguan’s regal gait, the leisurely way he jogged a single -- as if daring the fielders to throw him out -- and, most importantly, the grandeur of his strokeplay.

To my juvenile mind, Viv could do whatever pleased him in the moment. The great man could manhandle any attack, hit any delivery to the boundary, bring any bowler to their knees were he so minded. As far as I was concerned he could make a hundred anytime he liked, and only boredom, perhaps, or some sort of chivalry, prevented him from doing so. Whenever he was focused and in the mood, however, nothing could stop him.

This wasn’t true, of course, not even Bradman, the most assured maker of runs ever, could do that. But to me, and my schoolmates, fully consumed by the great game, there was nobody like Viv. Nobody had come onto the scene and played with such fearlessness and aplomb.

https://garfieldrobinson1.substack.com/p/when-viv-was-king