by Arunabha Sengupta
Johannesburg, 1970. Bob Connolly’s cartoon in Rand Daily Mail is captioned: “If manpower shortage becomes more serious, we’ll have to recall staff from Wanderers.”
After all South Africa are 2-0 up against Australia, and international cricket has all but dried up.
Ali Bacher has to borrow a 20-cent piece from English cricket writer Henry Blofeld in order to save time for the toss. He wins the flip of the coin. Barry Richards strikes the ball with youthful brilliance. He falls for 65, with 12 fours and a six off just 74 balls.
However, Goddard manages 6 in an hour, Bacher 30 in well over two. Even Graeme Pollock, dropped twice, battles over two hours and 37 minutes for an unclean 52. An interruption due to thunderstorms does not help the batsmen. South Africa end the day at 191 for 5.
Lee Irvine is in his third Test match. Two years ago, in 1968, he played his first season for Essex. He hit 26 sixes that summer.
On the second day he turns on magic and mayhem.
Partners come and go, but he essays incredible strokes. And his heels seem electric. With John Traicos, the last man, at the crease, Irvine runs even when the ball has been gathered by fielders, once even when the said fielder is at gully.
And he lifts Gleeson into the crowd beyond long on, and then into the scoreboard. The last wicket partnership produces 33 of which Traicos contributes a solitary run. 79 for the young man.
The total hauled to 279.
And then Mike Procter and Peter Pollock fall among the Aussies. A lead of 77.
Barlow opens with Richards because Goddard is not feeling fit, and ambles to his sixth Test hundred. Graeme Pollock dazzles during his 87.
Irvine comes in and flogs the tiring bowling for 73. Tiger Lance heaves a six, Procter slams two.
The target for Australia is 486. They surrender for 178.
The lead is now 3-0.
Bacher is armed with a brand-new Kruger rand for the toss at Port Elizabeth.
Lawry calls heads and loses for the fourth time in succession—rotten luck in a rotten series.
South Africa 311. Australia 212.
Cushioned on a 99-run lead, Richards hits 126 with 16 fours and 3 sixes. Keith Miller acknowledges that he has no equal in the world as an exciting opening batsman.
The morning after the rest day dawns with a south-west breeze across the ground. To those familiar with Port Elizabeth, this means rain. With the skies getting darker, Bacher and Irvine go for quick runs.
The captain looks set for a hundred when his back-foot slips after a stroke and dislodges the leg bail. Lindsay comes in to slam a 54-minute 43-ball 60 with 10 fours and a six. He hits Gleeson for 5 fours off successive deliveries.
Lawry keeps the spinner on, and Irvine lofts him for four and six. Gleeson goes for 35 runs in two overs.
At 92 Irvine hooks a six off Connolly. Off the following ball, he repeats the stroke and is dropped on the ropes by Redpath. In the next over he reaches his century. Procter comes in to smash Connolly for a six over extra cover.
At 470, Bacher declares. Australians are left to get 570 in just a bit less than nine hours.
Australia limp to 246 not out.
Victory by 323 runs.
The series is won 4-0.
The great team walks out, Bacher chaired on shoulders of fans.
They have their misgivings. Which will turn into stark reality. The 1970 tour to South Africa will be cancelled. So will the 1971-72 tour to Australia.
None of them, bar Traicos, will play Test cricket again.
Like his illustrious teammates Lee Irvine, the punishing left-hander, is never again seen in international cricket.
4 Tests, 353 runs at 50.42, 6 sixes.
There was Denis Lindsay, there was Denis Gamsy. Irvine was a perfectly capable wicketkeeper as well.
A magnificent talent.
International career ended at the age of 26.
Tragic like most of his teammates.
One wishes the world had seen more of him. And of his teammates.
But then, there were the Abeds, the Roros, the Salies, the Armines, the Majolas, the Abrahams, the Malambas … the phenomenal cricketers who never even quite got to tell the world that they existed.
(When one sheds tears, especially social media tears, over that 1970 team, it is perhaps good to remember them as well. Or at least to learn the fact that such men existed.)
Irvine scored more than 5000 runs for Transvaal, at 47.81, caught 171 and stumped 5.
All in just 64 appearances.
He hit a hundred against DH Robin’s XI when they visited South Africa to provide some ersatz international flavour.
Yes, he should have played more. Much much more.
Lee Irvine was born on 9 Mar 1944.