Born: 11 June 1971, Hastings
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Slow Left Arm Orthodox
Richardson's career has been somewhat similer to a fairy tail.
He started his career as a left-arm spinner in positive fashion until one day he could no longer bowl. He then decided to take the immense responsibility of opening the batting, and has not looked back since.
Richardson was selected in the Test side after a triple century in a tour match in Zimbabwe. Hardly a man for glorious stroke making, he is a dependable batsman, always able to tough it out when the situation calls for it.
He scored 99 in his second Test match, and from then on, Richardson has been New Zealand's premier Test opening batsman. He scored a maiden Test century against Pakistan in 2000/2001, and then picked up a second in the recent Bangladesh Test Series.
Richardson impressed many people in Australia with his gritty play at the top of the order, and even scored quickly in Brisbane and Perth when the situation required quick runs and was rewarded with selection in the VB series. But so far he has failed to make an impact in the one-day arena.