Viv Richards and Carl Hooper have demanded an apology from their former West Indies team-mate Brian Lara for impugning “their characters in an unjust and harmful manner” in his book – Lara: The England Chronicles. The two former West Indies captains have outright rejected Lara’s claim that Richards used to make Hooper “cry once a week”.
In his book, Lara wrote: “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.”
Responding to Lara’s claim, Richards and Hooped released a joint statement, saying: “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.”
“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.”
Lara played only one international match alongside Richards but played a lot more with Hooper. The two have asked Lara to issue an apology for the false claim. “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.”