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29 January 2008
Morne du Plessis has been a man of few words since his retirement as player and captain and as brilliantly understated manager of the 1995 World Cup–winning Boks.
The result is that, when he does have something to say, it is to be treated as a statement of some significance and importance.
One such occasion came was when he was asked some time after the event about the sacking of Gary Teichmann as Springbok captain ahead of the 1999 World Cup. His reply was simple, to the point and deeply significant: "Great players know when to go."
Du Plessis, who incidentally was no mean cricketer himself and good enough to represent Western Province at first–class level until a Barry Richards onslaught persuaded him that his future lay with rugby, might have expressed exactly the same sentiment when Shaun Pollock and Adam Gilchrist announced their retirements from international cricket over the course of the past few weeks.
It is the ultimate accolade of greatness when players call time on their careers when they are still very much on top of their games. Pollock, for instance, still had a great deal to offer the Proteas, particularly in the limited overs arena. But, as with everything else in sport, timing is the key.
It is almost as though these two 'greats' consulted one another before making their intentions known. Both retired midway through what turned out to be their final Test match and both will do the ODI circuit as an appropriate lap of honour. And they will meet up for one last time on the cricketing fields of the world when the Indian Premier League gets under way in mid–April.
Pollock jokingly remarked to his team mates in the Proteas dressing room last weekend: "After next weekend I will only be a Pro20 player!"
As Du Plessis did before them, both Pollock and Gilchrist will leave a wonderful legacy to the game. They always played the game with skill and passion, never overstepped the bounds of fair play and decency and were the role models supreme for what is termed the 'spirit of cricket'.
They also took tremendous pride in representing their respective countries at a time when the lure of the dollar from private entrepreneurs is becoming increasingly tempting.
To sum up their true contribution to the game I can do no better than quote from Richie Benaud's dedication in his most recent book "My spin of cricket" (published by Hodder and Stoughton).
Benaud is the voice of cricket and he is also the custodian of its greatest values.
Benaud wrote in 2005: "Sometimes dedicating a book can run to pages, almost a small book in itself. This is simply to say thanks to all those who, for me, in the short space of 75 years, have made cricket a game of such character, full of so many characters.
I've raised a glass to Colin Cowdrey, Ted Dexter and others who have provided a reminder that it should be no hardship to embrace the Spirit of Cricket as well as the winning of the game. Subtly, they have also posed the question of whether it really is impossible to win a cricket match without what, in these modern times, is known as sledging."
I raise my own glass to Polly and Gilly.
Michael Owen–Smith
Cricket South Africa (CSA)
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