SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd on Tuesday remembered Richard Austin as a “talented and fanatic cricketer and wonderful team man”.
Lloyd, the legendary captain of the 1970 and 1980s, captained Austin during his time in West Indies team. Austin a right-handed batsman and off-spinner, played two Tests and a single ODI.
He played 38 first-class matches making four centuries.
“He was a tremendous talent – a terrific cricketer and a very good footballer…a wonderful team man,” Lloyd told CMC Sports here.
“While he was in the team he did really well and made a very good contribution. He was also a fantastic footballer and played other sports as well.
Austin was a member of the West Indies team that played in World Series Cricket and one of the rebel players who toured South Africa in the early 1980s.
On his return to the Caribbean he fell on hard times and died last weekend in his native Jamaica at age 60.
“I first met him when he played for Jamaica and you could see his immense talent. He was very stylish and you could tell he would go on to play at the highest level,” the legendary former skipper said.
“He played Test cricket and World Series Cricket and he opened the batting and also batted in the middle, as well as bowled a bit of off-spin and was a very good fielder. He was a great utility man.”
