Sir Viv Richards and Carl Hooper slam Brian Lara for 'gross misinterpretations' in his book
Former West Indian cricketers Sir Vivian Richards and Carl Hooper have slammed legendary Windes batter Brian Lara for 'gross misinterpretations' of the duo in his recently released book - Lara: The England Chronicles. While the trio, especially Richards and Lara, remain all-time greats in West Indies cricket, Lara wrote that Richards' dressing room words could intimidate players.
Lara further stated that despite Richards' intention to always be towards the betterment of West Indies cricket, his words would make Hooper cry thrice a week.
The extract from Lara's book as per ESPNcricinfo read:
"Viv used to make me cry every three weeks, but he would make Carl cry once a week. Viv's tone of voice is intimidating and if you're not strong enough, you can take that personally and be affected by it. Me, I was never really affected by it. In a way I welcomed it, because I was so much under his arm that I knew abuse was coming and I was a strong personality. Carl? I know for a fact that Carl shied away from Viv Richards."
A joint statement from Richards and Hooper in response to Lara's claims read via ESPNcricinfo:
"Sir Vivian Richards and Mr. Carl Hooper are deeply disheartened by the gross misrepresentations made about them in Mr. Brian Lara's recently released book. The allegations presented not only distort the reality of their relationship but also impugn their characters in an unjust and harmful manner. The claim that Sir Vivian was aggressive towards Mr. Hooper and made him cry once a week is categorically false."
"Such descriptions paint Sir Vivian as a perpetrator of emotional abuse -- an assertion that is not only baseless but also deeply hurtful to both parties. Sir Vivian, as Mr. Hooper's first captain, has never caused emotional distress to Mr. Hooper," it added.
The statement continued:
"On the contrary, he has always acted as an encouraging mentor and provided unwavering support. Their nearly 40-year relationship has been founded on mutual respect and camaraderie. The misrepresentation of their interactions in Mr. Lara's book is a grave disservice to the truth and has caused undue distress to both parties and their families."
Ironically, Lara and Richards played only once together - an ODI against England in 1991.
While Lara remains West Indies' all-time leading run-scorer in international cricket with 22,260 runs, Richards is fifth with 15.261 runs.
Sir Viv Richards and Carl Hooper demand an apology from Brian Lara
Sir Viv Richards and Carl Hooper's joint statement concluded with them calling for Brian Lara to apologize for his misrepresenting remarks in his book.
"We demand that Mr. Lara immediately issues a public retraction of these false claims and offer a sincere apology for the harm caused. It is crucial for the integrity of public discourse and their personal and professional lives that the truth is set right," read the statement (via ESPNCricinfo).
Lara also mentioned how Hooper made batting look easier than any other West Indian. Hooper is ninth all-time among West Indian batters in runs scored, with 11,523 runs, including 20 centuries.