The release of Brian Lara’s book — LARA The England Chronicles — has courted controversy for the West Indies batting legend ever since arriving on the book shelves.
Claiming that Viv Richards was a hard taskmaster, Lara’s book mentions that Richards used to make him and Carl Hooper cry as the skipper of the West Indies team with his “intimidating tone of voice’, which could affect anyone who was “not strong”.
Both Richards and Hooper have demanded an apology from Lara for “gross misrepresentations” about them.
The controversial excerpt in the book read, “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.”
The two former West Indies greats, Richards and Hooper, have released a joint statement following the book’s release, demanding an explanation from Lara for his assertion.
“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,” read 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 – an assertion that is not only baseless but also deeply hurtful to both parties,” it added.
“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.”
Richards and Hooper have demanded an apology from Lara.
“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.”
Lara and Richards were teammates in just one match for the West Indies — the ODI at Lord’s during the 1991 tour of England. On the other hand, Lara has played under Hooper’s captaincy and later also led the Windies team that included Hooper.
Claiming that Viv Richards was a hard taskmaster, Lara’s book mentions that Richards used to make him and Carl Hooper cry as the skipper of the West Indies team with his “intimidating tone of voice’, which could affect anyone who was “not strong”.
Both Richards and Hooper have demanded an apology from Lara for “gross misrepresentations” about them.
The controversial excerpt in the book read, “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.”
The two former West Indies greats, Richards and Hooper, have released a joint statement following the book’s release, demanding an explanation from Lara for his assertion.
“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,” read 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 – an assertion that is not only baseless but also deeply hurtful to both parties,” it added.
“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.”
Richards and Hooper have demanded an apology from Lara.
“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.”
Lara and Richards were teammates in just one match for the West Indies — the ODI at Lord’s during the 1991 tour of England. On the other hand, Lara has played under Hooper’s captaincy and later also led the Windies team that included Hooper.
