Meet the other Richards

The story dates back nearly 50 years. Two boys were lying in bed, about to sleep, when the older of the two wrapped his arms around a cricket bat and told his younger brother, Mervin: "I wish they would one day pay us to play cricket".

People who watched the brothers bat as teenagers still say Mervin Richards was the more stylish of the two with more finesse. "There were some people who would rather see me play," Mervin, now 57 years old, says. "I was bit like Laxman or Azharuddin, wristy, you know."

He is now the director of sports in the Ministry of Sports in Antigua. His brother, older to him by a year, is Viv Richards, the king of cricket. As Mervin tells their tale, you get the sense of how Viv grew to be a champion batsman, who was eventually knighted.

Their father was a prison warden. Their eldest brother, Donald, was a fast bowler who saw something special in Richards. Their father would throw leather balls at them when they were 10 years old, and they grew up without fear of the cricket ball. The younger kids, along with Richards, would finish their soft-ball cricket in the evening and vacate the field for the likes of Donald and the seniors. The only youngster who was allowed to play with the adults was Viv. "We would all sit up and take great pride in watching Viv attack the elders," Mervin says. "It never occurred to us that 'oh we weren't allowed to play'. Obviously, looking back, Donald had spotted the talent in Viv."

Viv used to play football as well, as a defender. Mervin remembers little incidents which revealed the character of Viv. "Suddenly he would charge up to the centre pitch, make couple of active passes, get forward and score a goal. He then would say, 'see, this is what I was saying, this is what we need to do to win'. He was the captain and never liked losing." Mervin says that Viv had a determination which set him apart from everyone. "He was always passionate about cricket. When our father, a strict disciplinarian, would order us not to play in the park over some issue, I would obey and sit out. But Viv couldn't take the torture [of not playing]. He would be prepared to take the licks from Father later but would go to play. I have never seen him holding a football while sleeping but have seen him lie down with the bat many times."

According to Mervin it was while playing in the park that Viv developed his signature whip across the line to deliveries even outside off stump. There used to be a fisherman at the straight down the ground and he didn't like the ball landing in his area. "He would chop off the cricket balls and throw them back. And so Viv started to develop that shot through midwicket!"

Mervin picks the day Viv was named the captain of West Indies as his happiest moment from his brother's career. "At that point of time West Indies cricket was still dominated by four big countries. The board could have awarded captaincy to a player from bigger country or someone with lighter skin. That's what they wanted even though Viv was an understudy to Clive Lloyd. There were talks about Larry Gomes being given the job. When Viv got it, I was in USA studying, and was most happy."

Mervin returned to Antigua and eventually became involved in sports administration. He also acted in two movies when he was young, and played football and pool. "I never focussed on one sport. I remember, years later while he was playing for West Indies, Viv once said to me, 'you know, you should have stayed with cricket. I have seen worse players than you go on to play, become better and do well for West Indies'." Nowadays Mervin works hard at his job, not wanting to let any talent go to waste. "I use myself as an example and try telling the boys to focus." The telephone rings. It's his mother. Mervin, who meets her every day for lunch, says with a smile, "Mom, I have some friends from India who have been asking about your other son."