England and the West Indies will compete for a new Richards-Botham Trophy when they next meet in a Men鈥檚 Test series to pay tribute to two of their greatest players whose rivalry and friendship embodies the close relationship and mutual respect between the two sides.
Tomorrow's Third Test between the two sides will be the last time the teams compete for the Wisden Trophy, the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies have announced.
In its place the new Richards-Botham Trophy will now be designed ready for when the teams next meet in a Test series.
Honouring legends聽
The title honours Sir Vivian Richards, one of cricket鈥檚 greatest batsmen who scored more than 8,500 runs in a 121-Test career, and Sir Ian Botham, the legendary all-rounder who scored more than 5,000 runs and took 383 wickets in 102 Tests.
Fierce competitors on the pitch, the pair developed a great friendship off it which still endures, and the new trophy is a fitting way to celebrate the warm relationship between the nations and to honour the gladiatorial spirit of contests past and present.
The Wisden Trophy, first introduced in 1963 to commemorate the hundredth edition of the Wisden Cricketers鈥� Almanack, will now be retired and will be displayed at the MCC Museum at Lord鈥檚 where it has traditionally been kept.
Sir Vivian Richards said: 鈥淭his is a huge honour for my good friend Ian and myself.
鈥淚 am delighted to know that the game that I have shown my love for since a little boy is naming such a prestigious award in recognition of what I managed to achieve as a cricketer.
鈥淲hen I had the opportunity to go to England and represent Somerset, one of the first persons I met was Ian Botham, who would later become of one my best friends. We are friends for life.
鈥淭o have this trophy 鈥� West Indies vs England 鈥� named in honour of our work on the cricket field is great. What I think is also remarkable is that it says a lot about our relationship off the field as well.
鈥淲e were competitors on the field, but we showed we were brothers off the field. I鈥檓 proud to have my name on one side of the trophy with him on the other side.鈥�
Sir Ian Botham said: 鈥淰iv was the finest batsman I ever played against.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great friend but we鈥檝e always been competitive, not least when we were on the cricket field, and there was no one else鈥檚 wicket I would treasure more.
鈥淧laying the West Indies was always one of the toughest tests in cricket, and it鈥檚 an honour for this trophy to bear our names. I hope future series will be just as exciting as the one we鈥檝e all been enjoying this summer.鈥�
Spectacular careers 聽
Sir Vivian averaged 62.36 against England across his career with eight hundreds. He dominated the 1976 series between the two sides, scoring 829 runs at an average of 118.42 in the series which West Indies won 3-0. This included 232 in the first Test and 291 in the fifth.
He also made what at the time was the fastest Test hundred in the game against England in 1986, taking just 56 balls to reach his century.
It is still the equal second fastest of all time.
Facing the best team in the world at the time, Sir Ian took 61 wickets at an average of 35 against the West Indies, with three five-wicket hauls and a best of 8/103 at Lord鈥檚.
He also scored four 50s, with a best of 81 in the same game at Lord鈥檚 in 1984.
Colin Graves, 黑料专区 Chair, said: 鈥淓ngland and the West Indies have produced many magic cricketing moments over the years, and this series has been no different even though it鈥檚 been played in very different circumstances.
鈥淲e remain very grateful for West Indies travelling here to play this series, and it鈥檚 fitting that we鈥檝e got such an exciting final Test in store as the teams compete for the Wisden Trophy for the final time.
鈥淭he Wisden Trophy was introduced nearly 60 years ago to mark the 100th聽edition of the Almanack, and we鈥檝e been extremely proud to contest it since then.
鈥淏oth we and Cricket West Indies felt that the time was right to honour two of our greatest modern players.
鈥淪ir Vivian and Sir Ian were fierce competitors on the pitch but great friends off it, exemplifying the spirit of the contests between our two cricketing nations and providing perfect inspiration for those who compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy in years to come.鈥�
Ricky Skerritt, President of Cricket West Indies, said: 鈥淪ir Viv鈥檚 phenomenal West Indies track record against England, both as a player and captain, and his longstanding friendship with his former Somerset teammate and England rival, Sir Ian Botham, presented an excellent opportunity to honour two uniquely suited living legends.
鈥淏oth honorees put their heart into the game, and always gave their all for their teams and countries.
鈥淭here are other West Indian cricket legends whose names could also have been chosen for this honour, but none more deserving than Sir Viv.鈥�