Former New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Ian Smith has showered praises on Vivian Richards and said that the cricketer would have been a legend in T20 cricket.

He also said that when it came to the Indian Premier League (IPL) Viv Richards would have pocketed more money than Pat Cummins. 

Smith, while talking at an interaction organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a part of their podcast series titled 'Inside Out', stated, "I believe Vivian Richards would have made a go at cricket in any format in any decade. That's why, I mean you look at his strike rate which was so superior to anyone else's at that time, that is a T20 strike rate without even having that game in his mind".

"He would have been an absolute legend in T20 cricket. They would have paid more money than they did for Pat Cummins, Ben Stokes and all other guys put together, to get Viv Richards in their line-up, because it would put more bums on the seats," he added.

As for Stokes and Cummins, the two are the highest-paid foreign players in the IPL. The Australian pacer was recently bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping INR 15.5 crore during the 2019 auction.

Talking about fans and the excitement around the game, Smith added that Richards would have been a great crowd puller and television ratings would have gone through the roof.

"He would have been an absolute crowd-pleaser and television would have gone through the roof. I will sum it up by saying that whenever you sit down and pick all-time World XI, he is always in mind, I promise you," Smith said.

As for Vivan Richards, he is still viewed as one of the best batsmen to have graced the game. The West Indian scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches and 6,721 runs in the ODI format at an average of 47. He was also a part of the Windies' World Cup-winning team in 1975 and 1979.