England, West Indies to play for Richards-Botham Trophy; Wisden Trophy to be retired

England and West Indies will compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy when they meet next in Test cricket with both boards – England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies – agreeing to retire the Wisden Trophy.

The Wisden Trophy, which was introduced in 1963 to celebrate the 100th edition of Wisden Almanack, will now be kept at the MCC Museum at Lord’s. “This is a huge honour for my good friend Ian and myself. I am delighted to know that the game that I have shown my love for since a little boy is naming such a prestigious award in my recognition of what I managed to achieve as a cricketer,” Vivian Richards said. “When I had the opportunity to go to England and represent Somerset, one of the first persons I met was Ian Botham, who would later become one of my best friends. We are friends for life.

“To have this trophy – West Indies vs England – named in honour of our work on the cricket field is great. What I think is also remarkable is that it says a lot about our relationship off the field as well. We were competitors on the field, but we showed we were brothers off the field. I’m proud to have my name on one side of the trophy with him on the other side.”

Richards averaged 62.36 against England with eight centuries to his name while Botham took 61 wickets – in 20 Test at an average of 35.18 – during his career against West Indies. “Viv was the finest batsman I ever played against. He’s a great friend but we’ve always been competitive, not least when we were on the cricket field, and there was no one else’s wicket I would treasure more,” Botham said.

“Playing the West Indies was always one of the toughest tests in cricket, and it’s an honour for this trophy to bear our names. I hope future series will be just as exciting as the one we’ve all been enjoying this summer.”

There have been 27 series’ between England and West Indies since the start of Wisden Trophy with the latter enjoying the upper hand with 14 wins. England have won the trophy nine times while four series have ended in a draw. England are next scheduled to tour the Caribbean in 2022 for a two-Test encounter which will mark the beginning of Richards-Botham Trophy.