Comparing current crop with heroes of yesteryear

THE news media possibly does it merely to boost its own image.

If a left-handed batsman hits a sizzling cover-drive he immediately becomes a “second Graeme Pollock”. A cracking square cut reminds another journalist of Daryll Cullinan at his best.

A nimble-footed drop goal by Morne Steyn reminds others of Naas Botha, who was incomparable anyway.

Over the past weeks those of us who have followed the Sri Lankan cricket tour of South Africa will have noticed how the English commentators have raved over the quality of the South Africans’ fielding – especially Temba Bavuma, who has been magnificent wherever he has been positioned.

One veteran commentator even likened him to Peter Kirsten who in his day was probably the country’s best fielder.

It would probably be right to credit Peter with the development of the sliding boundary save by diving ahead of the ball and flipping it back.

It was also not uncommon to see Peter running out opposing batsmen with direct hits on the stumps – an aspect of the game the present crop of players would do well to improve upon.

And talking of outstanding fielders, remember Colin Bland? Hitting the stumps with the batsman out of his ground may have been a Peter Kirsten forte but it would be equally right to say that Bland specialised in this sort of thing.

It was known that he would lull a batsman into a sense of safety by running say from cover and deliberately failing to stop or cut off the ball. Then quite suddenly the “Golden Eagle” as he became known, would swoop.

The astonished batsman, a long way from his target, would abruptly find the middle stump cart-wheeling out of the ground!

In England, Bland attracted thousands to the grounds in the hope that the South Africans would be fielding. At one centre he gave a remarkable exhibition of hitting stumps as part of an organised sideshow.

He wasn’t too shabby as a batsman either. Border players who faced him in the 6869 season won’t forget in a hurry the 197 he made in a little less than three hours.

Rhodesian born Bland played for several South African provinces and must be in his mid-seventies now but where he’s living now I don’t know. But boy, he sure took fielding in the game of cricket to a new level.