Legendary West Indies cricketer Viv Richards and Carl Hooper are miffed at former teammate Brian Lara's "gross misinterpretations" in his book - Lara: The England Chronicles. In a joint statement from the duo on July 21, Richards and Hooper have falsified Lara's claim that Richards made him cry every three weeks and Hooper once in a week.
"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 former West Indies captains said in a statement put out by Hooper. "The allegations presented not only distort the reality of their relationship but also impugn their characters in an unjust and harmful manner."
In his book, Lara wrote that Richards used to intimidate players in the dressing room with his words. Lara said that he did it for West Indies cricket's betterment.
Here’s the controversial excerpt from the book -
"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."
No emotional abuse
Hooper said that Richards did not direct any emotional abuse at him and had his back as mentor. In the statement, they claimed that it has caused distress to their families.
"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."
Duo wants Lara to apologise
Richards and Hooper further accused Lara for trying to make profit by causing controversy.
"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," the statement further stated.
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