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Viv Richards and Carl Hooper have voiced their disagreement with Brian Lara’s claims in his latest book ‘LARA The England Chronicles’.
The cricketing world has seen its share of controversies stirred by former players through their autobiographies. From Sachin Tendulkar to Kevin Pietersen and Shoaib Akhtar, notable figures have revealed surprising anecdotes and insights, often leaving the cricket fraternity astonished.
Brian Lara’s latest book has similarly caused a stir, unveiling previously untold stories. One excerpt, for instance, describes how Viv Richards purportedly maintained an intimidating presence that instilled fear in players, with Lara mentioning Richards making him ‘cry every three weeks’ and Carl Hooper ‘once a week’. While Lara acknowledged these actions were intended to benefit the team, his revelations have sparked debate and skepticism among cricket enthusiasts.
“I will say this: 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,” said Brian Lara.
Viv Richards and Carl Hooper respond to Brian Lara’s claim.
Viv Richards and Carl Hooper have jointly responded to Brian Lara’s assertions with a firm statement. In their collective message, the former West Indies captains categorically refute Lara’s claims, describing them as a ‘gross misinterpretation’ of the facts and an attempt to profit through deceit.
Both Richards and Hooper emphasize their longstanding relationship built on mutual respect and camaraderie, asserting that Viv Richards never subjected Hooper to emotional distress as alleged by Lara. They have demanded Lara to retract his statements publicly and issue a genuine apology for the misinformation.
The joint statement underscores their disappointment with Lara’s portrayal of events and reaffirms their commitment to preserving the truth and integrity within the cricketing community.
“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,” said the joint statement.
“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 – and 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. 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.
“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,” added the statement.
