West Indies legend Viv Richards heaps praise on South African big-hitter AB de Villiers

Legendary West Indies batsman has lavished praise on swashbuckling South African skipper AB de Villiers, describing him as a player 'who reminds him of himself'.

The two-time World Cup winner said that sometimes while watching the South African skipper play, it seemed like he was watching himself, Sport24 reported.

Reflecting on De Villiers' talent, Richards said that he was one player who was 'very hard to leave out of any ODI team', adding that he looked 'very comfortable at the crease' and it was a 'joy' to all cricket fans to watch him play, the report added.

In a column for the International Cricket Council (ICC), Richards revealed his personal list of "10 ODI batsmen of all time I would pay to watch", which includes stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Clive Lloyd, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Virender Sehwag, Mike Hussey, AB de Villers and Virat Kohli.