Sir Vivian Richards and Carl Hooper have slammed Brian Lara for "gross misrepresentations" in his recently released book, 'Lara: The England Chronicles'.
Hooper and Richards issued a joint statement on Sunday, July 21 to outrightly denounce Lara's claim that Richards made Hooper "cry once a week" during their playing days for the West Indies.
Hooper and Richards have alleged that the claim made in Lara's book is categorically false and have asked Lara to issue an apology for the same.
"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," the pair said in a statement made public by Hooper as per ESPNcricinfo.
Notably, an extract in the book claims that Viv was "intimidating" in the dressing room and that a player needed to be strong-headed to deal with the "abuse".
"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 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.
"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," read the statement.
