London: England and West Indies will be vying for the ‘Richards-Botham’ Trophy when they next clash in Test cricket with the ‘Wisden Trophy’ being rechristened after the names of the two iconic cricketers from both teams.
The third Test between England and West Indies will be the last time the two teams compete for the Wisden Trophy, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced in a joint statement.
“England and the West Indies will compete for a new Richards-Botham Trophy when they next meet in a men’s 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,” the ECB said.
A new Richards-Botham Trophy will now be designed ready for when the two teams next meet in a Test series.
“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 nation,” the release said, referring to the friendship of the two cricketers when they played for Somerset in English county.
Sir Vivian Richards amassed 8540 runs in 121 Test matches at an average of 50 plus with 24 hundreds, while Sir Ian Botham scored 5200 runs apart from taking 383 wickets in 102 games in traditional format.
