Profile: Graeme Pollock

What levels of greatness would Graeme Pollock have scaled had South Africa not been isolated from international cricket after 1970...

After all, he was just 26 when they played their last Test before their return 22 years later. His average was almost 61 and he had hit seven hundreds in 23 Tests, including the South African record score of 274. And he was already regarded along with Gary Sobers as the best left-handed batsman in the game.

Then came South Africa's excommunication from international cricket and Pollock's genius, apart from a tour of Australia with the Rest of the World squad in 1971-72, was sadly reserved for South African crowds only. A pity indeed.

Like Sobers, Pollock did not need a half volley or a long hop to hit a four.

He could drive on the up, or cut, force or pull anything even fractionally short of a good length. The sight of the tall left-hander leaning effortlessly towards the path of the ball and sending it skimming through the covers or wide of mid on with a relaxed swing of a heavy bat was one of the most glorious sights of the sixties.

The prodigiously gifted Graeme, the younger brother of pace spearhead Peter Pollock, made his Test debut at 19 and in only his third Test, he scored 122 at Sydney. This made him, at 19 years and 318 days, the youngest South African to score a hundred in Test cricket.

In the very next Test, he made an imperious 175, sharing a partnership of 341 in 283 minutes with Eddie Barlow – then South Africa's highest stand for any wicket in Tests.

The knock that elevated Pollock to greatness was his unforgettable 125 against England at Trent Bridge in 1965 in conditions that aided swing and seam bowling.

He entered at 16 for two and South Africa were soon 43 for four and then 80 for five. At this stage, Pollock took charge and went on to make 125 out of 160 off just 145 balls with 21 boundaries. The last 91 of his runs were made off 90 balls in 70 minutes, while his partner Peter Van der Merwe scored ten. South Africa went on to win by 94 runs with brother Peter having match figures of ten for 87.

Another gallant innings was notched up against Australia at Cape Town in 1966/67.

Handicapped by a thigh muscle pull, Pollock, batting with a runner, still boldly went for his strokes despite being limited for much of his innings to the backfoot.

Australia had piled on 542 and when Pollock entered, the South African score read 12 for two. A little later, it was 85 for five. With a little help from Van der Merwe and brother Peter, he went on to smash 209 in 350 minutes with 30 fours after rattling his first hundred off 139 balls. He was ultimately ninth out at 343.

Three years later, in what turned out to be his farewell series, he savaged the Aussie bowling to amass 517 runs in four Tests at an average of 73.85. This run included the national record score of 274, for which he batted for 417 minutes, hitting 43 fours.

In the period of isolation, Pollock continued to score prolifically in the domestic circuit becoming the highest scorer in Currie Cup cricket and holding the record for a season's aggregate for both Eastern Province (984 runs in 1974-75) and Transvaal (961 runs at an average of 98.10 in 1978-79).

He also showed undiminished powers at the highest level with centuries in two of the unofficial Tests against the West Indian fast bowlers in 1983 and 1984.

World cricket should have seen more of him.

Image: Graeme Pollock batting during the rebel West Indies' tour of South Africa in Feb 1983.

Text: Partab Ramchand | Getty Images (Any unauthorised reproduction is prohibited)

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