Barry Richards is considered as a legend who never got an opportunity to express his infinite batting talent as South Africa was sidelined from international cricket during the apartheid years.

On a day when another South African great Jacques Kallis announced his imminent retirement from Tests, Richards doffed his hat and told The Hindu: 'If we are talking about a single champion in this era then Jacques is the champion! If Garry Sobers was the finest all-rounder then Jacques is equal to him.

'Now how do you find a replacement for a player of Jacques’ calibre? It’s almost impossible. Yes, everyone retires and Jacques had to make that call at some point but it is not easy to replace such a high-impact player.'

Richards said that Kallis would continue his contributions to cricket through his charity — the Jacques Kallis Foundation.

'He still has a lot to offer to the game and his foundation is doing enormous work at the grassroots level and I am sure he will identify a few players through this initiative, who will serve South Africa as fine cricketers,' Richards said.