An emotional farewell for Polly
I'll always be able to say, "I got a t-shirt autographed at Shaun Pollock's last game!" (Thanks Bryan and Kyle!) I'll admit to being a bit emotional when he bowled his last over, and when he hit the winning runs...and ok, when he gave his last speech, and when he jogged up the tunnel to the changerooms for the last time as an SA player. Polly has epitomised what has been best about SA cricket and I've loved watching him. My favourite moment involving him was watching him remove 4 Pakistani batsman in the opening over of an ODI back in the late 90's while my (still alive then) Grandfather was over for lunch. 4 wickets in the opening over of a game! Amazing.
I've watched him and Alan Donald decimate England at the Wanderers (I was there!) to dismiss them before lunch on the morning of the first test of Englands 5 test tour of SA in 1998/9. I've seen him rise to become one of the best bowlers in the world, and the best bowler to left-handers. I've watched as he lost some pace but became an even better bowler due to experience and patience. I've seen him swing the ball viciously. I watched him be embarrassed on national TV when it seemed like he was reading a dodgy soft porn magazine in the dressing room while his teammates were batting, but it turned out to be the Sunday Times magazine - and when he realised the cameras were on him he was highly embarrassed! I've attempted to duplicate his bowling action, as have friends of mine. I heard him speak (with Andrew Hudson and Jonty Rhodes) in 1998 as he spoke about his faith in God - a genuine faith, not just a "this-is-convenient-because-then-people-will-like-me" faith. I watched as he took over the captaincy during the Hansie Cronje controversy. I watched as he took batsmen (and bowlers) apart all over the world, and was still a nice guy while doing it. I watched as he single-handedly destroyed the Australians in Australia in 1996 in a game where Alan Donald was injured so Polly had to carry the brunt of the attack himself in batsmen-friendly conditions. I even remember his bowling figures for that game: 7/87. I watched when he scored his maiden ODI century. Polly has been part of my favourite banner I've ever seen at the cricket - at the Wanderers when Donald was still playing. It read:
Polly wants a cracker
Donald wants a duck
We all know what Australia wants
But who gives a ...!!
The best banner yesterday (which won R2000 for its efforts) read:
Shaun Pollock: giving ginger kids street cred since 1995.
He's been consistent and has deserved to be the first post-isolation South African cricketer to have a farewell tour. I watched yesterday as he took a wicket, conceding 33 runs in 10 overs to be the most economical bowler on the day, fielded a few balls on the boundary to raucous cheering, hit a sublime boundary off a front foot cover drive to just in front of us where we were sitting on the grass to take us within 2 runs of a 5-0 whitewash of the Windies...and then hit the winning runs with a 2 down to third man.
Elizabeth summed it up well yesterday: "It won't be the same to not hear Mandoza playing at the cricket."
Farewell Polly, and thanks for the memories.
I've watched him and Alan Donald decimate England at the Wanderers (I was there!) to dismiss them before lunch on the morning of the first test of Englands 5 test tour of SA in 1998/9. I've seen him rise to become one of the best bowlers in the world, and the best bowler to left-handers. I've watched as he lost some pace but became an even better bowler due to experience and patience. I've seen him swing the ball viciously. I watched him be embarrassed on national TV when it seemed like he was reading a dodgy soft porn magazine in the dressing room while his teammates were batting, but it turned out to be the Sunday Times magazine - and when he realised the cameras were on him he was highly embarrassed! I've attempted to duplicate his bowling action, as have friends of mine. I heard him speak (with Andrew Hudson and Jonty Rhodes) in 1998 as he spoke about his faith in God - a genuine faith, not just a "this-is-convenient-because-then-people-will-like-me" faith. I watched as he took over the captaincy during the Hansie Cronje controversy. I watched as he took batsmen (and bowlers) apart all over the world, and was still a nice guy while doing it. I watched as he single-handedly destroyed the Australians in Australia in 1996 in a game where Alan Donald was injured so Polly had to carry the brunt of the attack himself in batsmen-friendly conditions. I even remember his bowling figures for that game: 7/87. I watched when he scored his maiden ODI century. Polly has been part of my favourite banner I've ever seen at the cricket - at the Wanderers when Donald was still playing. It read:
Polly wants a cracker
Donald wants a duck
We all know what Australia wants
But who gives a ...!!
The best banner yesterday (which won R2000 for its efforts) read:
Shaun Pollock: giving ginger kids street cred since 1995.
He's been consistent and has deserved to be the first post-isolation South African cricketer to have a farewell tour. I watched yesterday as he took a wicket, conceding 33 runs in 10 overs to be the most economical bowler on the day, fielded a few balls on the boundary to raucous cheering, hit a sublime boundary off a front foot cover drive to just in front of us where we were sitting on the grass to take us within 2 runs of a 5-0 whitewash of the Windies...and then hit the winning runs with a 2 down to third man.
Elizabeth summed it up well yesterday: "It won't be the same to not hear Mandoza playing at the cricket."
Farewell Polly, and thanks for the memories.
Anyway, celebs must get stuff like that all the time tho. Katherine Heigl had someone come up to her and say, "You look just like Katherine Heigl!!"