Richards' contribution in that series was instrumental in the 4–0 win that South Africa inflicted on the side, captained by Bill Lawry.
[1][3] Mike Procter, whose South African and English career roughly paralleled that of Richards, was prominent in that series as a bowler.
[4] With such limited international exposure, Richards plied his trade in first-class cricket between 1964 and 1983, becoming a prolific batsman with 28,358 runs.
Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1969, Richards scored runs for Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Natal, South Australia, Transvaal and in World Series Cricket, and has been described as "one of the finest talents of the 20th century", and it is jokingly said that "the merest suggestion that he does not belong among the definitive all-time greats will spark violence in most bars in South Africa.
He played in the Natal Nuffield week side from 1961 to 1964, and for South African schools from 1962 to 1964, scoring a century against the Western Province first-class team.
From 1970, Richards established one of the most successful opening partnerships for that county, along with West Indian batsman Gordon Greenidge.
Trevor Bisseker wrote this:[citation needed] "Playing at Newlands, he held the stadium enthralled for an hour, as he simply carved up everything that was delivered at him.
Certainly, if somebody had to bat for one's life, one would choose Richards ahead of the other world greats of the 1970s, and that includes his illustrious West Indian namesake and Graeme Pollock.