South African cricketing legend Graeme Pollock calls for help in hour of need

Graeme Pollock (centre) inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

Considering the immense contribution Graeme Pollock has made to world cricket, the news of him living in poverty in recent months has been extremely depressing to hear. He has incurred losses of $250,000 from his brokerage business and is in serious danger of having his home taken away from him because of his incapability to pay the loans.

He suffers from Parkinson’s disease and colon cancer and is in such a desperate situation where he hasn’t even been able to pay for his medical treatment. What has made matters worse is the fact that he has also suffered a stroke recently which has restricted his movements, thereby limiting his chances of getting a job.

BCCI and IPL could help Pollock

His agent Basil O’Hagan has pleaded to the BCCI and IPL teams to help, in whatever way possible, in rescuing Pollock’s life.

"Financially, Graeme is fighting to keep the wolves from his door. It's really sad to see someone who brought so much joy to cricket, in this position," O'Hagan said.

Pollock was known as an extremely hard hitter of a cricket ball during his playing days, and O’Hagan feels that Pollock’s vast cricketing knowledge might prove beneficial to IPL teams.

"He is good at that and has been doing that for some time. Graeme spends hours watching the IPL. He is very interested in the transformation of the game. He feels there are very real innovations to the game of batting and progress can still be done in this direction."

The 70-year-old feels that his current state has got to do with the lack of assistance from Cricket South Africa (CSA) for South African cricketers of previous generations.

"There is not much one can do as an old South African cricketer. Unlike in India, the system here does not support retired players. I have heard that the Indian board disbursed money to former cricketers and has set up a system of monthly pension. We've no such privileges here," he said.

Cricketing career

Graeme, who is the uncle of Shaun Pollock, will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest South African cricketers ever to have played the game in addition to being one of the finest batsmen during the 1970s and 80s. Hailing from a famous cricketing family in South Africa, Pollock’s cricketing talent was obvious for everyone to see right from the outset.

It was no surprise, then, when the left-handed batsman went on to make his first-class debut for Eastern Province at the young age of 16. He had an auspicious beginning, as he made a half-century before being unfortunately run-out. His debut was just a sign of things to follow, as he went on to become the youngest South African to score a first-class century when he made 102 against Transvaal B later that season.

His rise to prominence was rapid, going on to make his Test match debut for South Africa against Australia, just a couple of seasons later, in the 1963-64 season. His start to his Test career was a bit shaky, raising questions about whether he truly belonged at the international level, but he soon shut his critics up with a brilliant 122 in just his 3rd Test match against Australia, which also made him the youngest South African to score a Test century. That set him on his way and there was no looking back after that.

Pollock averaged a staggering 60.97 from the 23 Tests he played, second only to The Don. What is mindboggling is that Pollock, perhaps, hadn’t even reached his peak as a cricketer when his career unfortunately got curtailed due to the sporting boycott of South Africa in 1970 due to apartheid. It is an absolute travesty that he played his last Test match at the age of just 26, depriving a player of the stature of himself of playing at the top level for another 8-10 years at the least.

Despite playing so few Test matches in comparison to his contemporaries, there have never been any doubts about Pollock’s standing among the greats of the game, reflecting the great impact he made in such short time.

Awards and accolades

Pollock has received numerous accolades for his illustrious playing career. He was named South Africa’s Cricketer of the 20th Century in 1999 in addition to being one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1966. He was also retrospectively bestowed, in 2007, with the honour of being the Wisden Leading Cricketer of the World in 1967 and 1969. He was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. But, perhaps, Pollock will cherish Sir Don Bradman calling him the greatest left-handed batsman, along with Sir Gary Sobers, that he ever saw the most.

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Photo (via Bangalore Mirror)