The scene: August 1994, second Test, South Africa versus England at Headingley, Leeds. It’s in the heart of parochial Yorkshire, a cricket-crazy county, and England were in the ascendancy with South Africa struggling at 115/5 after the English had amassed 400 plus.
A balding 39-year-old walked to the crease amid many catcalls from derisory Yorkshiremen and was struck twice on the head by a gladiatoral Yorkie, Darren Gough, on a sporty wicket. But he was damned if he was going to surrender in one of the most atmospheric cricket arenas in world cricket. So please forgive me for self-indulgence this week as emotions recall my only ‘official” Test century (104), to enable South Africa to save the match.
Yorkshire is synonomous with past greats of the game — Geoff Boycott, Ray Illingworth, Fred Trueman, Brian Close. All typical Yorkshireman, proud and robust. If the England team comprised Yorkshiremen only, then that is the way the people of Yorkshire would prefer it.
Headingley is a stimulating arena in which to play a Test, really testing one’s character. Even practice sessions do not escape the critical eye. Still vivid in my mind is Boycott, standing behind the net while I was engaging in my batting routines, scoffing away at some Yorkshire ‘pud”. He suggested that because of my advanced age, it would be a good idea to get my feet moving properly.
‘You know, Peter, as we get older we must get ‘dancin’ with the feet, especially here at Headingley where the ball tends to swing and seam more.”
Thanks, Sir Geoffrey, your advice was heeded and I’m still ‘dancin” with glee at my only Test century!
This week’s confrontation at Headingley will evoke more tumultuous emotions among our South African boys as it was here, in 1998, that a certain Pakistani umpire got his finger up our noses, causing South Africa to lose the deciding Test and the series in nefarious fashion. Even years later he was accused by the normally calm Dr Ali Bacher of ‘meddling”. It was at the emotive time of the ‘betting scandal”.
Allan Donald last week recalled the aggression, spitefulness and nastiness that prevailed during the 1998 Headingly Test. Indeed, he said, ‘we almost came to blows off the field”. Such is the atmosphere that a Yorkshire Test provokes. Never dull, always engaging.
Graeme Smith and his boys were impressive in the manner in which they fought hard and never surrendered at Nottingham. Let’s just say we were ambushed! Gary Kirsten’s late withdrawal, and losing the toss, proved decisive.
But let’s give England credit for a much improved performance. Nasser Hussain and Mark Butcher were brilliant on the first day and their bowlers at last found the right areas to put South Africa under pressure. James Kirtley, assisted by the poor wicket, responded impressively in his Test debut.
Neil Mckenzie at last got his chance and proved again that he is a better selection than Boeta Dippenaar in the humdrum of Test cricket. Mckenzie’s absence for the past several months, including the World Cup, has been difficult to fathom. There is no doubt in my mind that had we won the toss at Nottingham, apart from ‘poisoned arrows”, Smithy and his merry men would now be two up in the series — but cricket is a funny game!
Dancin’ on now to the Yorkshire dales for the vital fourth Test will provide Smith with an even sterner challenge than his first three Tests. The north of England, its conditions and its people are made of sterner stuff and the Yorkies are proud of this label. They will urge and cajole their ‘ Yorkshire’ — um, sorry, England — team to a frenzy, but simultaneously acknowledge the skills displayed by the opposition.
I am confident that Smithy and his boys will strike back and perform, even allowing for the strange decision to grant Shaun Pollock paternity leave during such an important Test match. So let’s prepare the Yorkshire ‘pud” and keep it on hold for the boys — Pollock, his wife and their first child too!