Graeme Pollock was 41 when South Africa XI took on Australia XI in the first Unofficial Test at Durban in 1985. That was the time when the only international cricket South Africa got was from the rebel tours, as the country had been banned by the ICC because of its apartheid policy.
When Pollock played and missed a few times, wicketkeeper Steve Rixon sledged him. But the great South African batter went on to make 108.
Mike Haysman was one of the hapless Australian fielders who watched Pollock turn the clock back in great style. “From the moment Rixon started to sledge him, every single ball hit the middle of Pollock’s bat,” Haysman told The Hindu here on Tuesday. “And he was caught by a Kim Hughes screaming catch in the covers. A lot of the bowlers didn’t speak to Rixon ever again.”
Haysman is one of those talented cricketers who never could make it to the international level. He had been a prolific scorer in the extremely Sheffield Shield (First Class) competition in Australia after making a hundred on debut against Queensland.
When an opportunity came, he wasn’t aware. “I was on standby for an Ashes tour, but I wasn’t officially told, and in the meantime I had been approached for the rebel tour,” said Haysman, a popular voice on cricket now. “I hadn’t already signed up, but I wasn’t sure what the selectors thought about me. So, it was a bit of a tricky situation all around and of a communication issue, which tends to happen in cricket.”
He feels South Africa needed such tours to keep the international game alive in the country at that time. “South Africa had some fabulous players even then, like Clive Rice, who was the captain, Garth Le Raux and Pollock,” he says. “I also had a good time with the bat; I was the leading scorer on the 1986-87 tour (with 738 runs at an average of 61.50).
He now has strong association with South Africa, where he has been a regular commentator for several years. “I love this country; it is beautiful but it has problems, as does every country,” he says. “I love animals, and Africa is the best continent for wildlife.”
About the India-South Africa Test series, he wishes it was longer than just two matches. “I would have loved five matches,” said Haysman, who enjoys watching K.L. Rahul bat. “Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are the other Indian cricketers that I like a lot.”
