Good times remembered on the field of fun

That rollicking opening partnership of 152 in 10.5 overs by Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks brought unbridled joy to Proteas fans watching the second T20 victory against the West Indies. It was delivered with the precision of a surgeon with a dash of gay abandon. That flamboyance is reminiscent of amateur days and masked the intensity of the struggle.

At the end of the third T20 on Tuesday when quick runs were required for victory, the Proteas became reticent, discarded their previous flair and the West Indians pounced. The Proteas went from hero to zero in 48 hours. Such is the modern game.

Forgotten, too, is the festive spirit after De Kock’s brilliance two days earlier, as was his delightfully understated postmatch interview. It reminded me of Lance Klusener’s quote after he had destroyed the Pakistan attack to take the Proteas to a semifinal berth in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup. He hit the last five balls of the match for 4, 2, 4, 6 and 6 to clinch victory. This followed his 3/21 earlier in the day.

When asked how he did it, Klusener said: “I could not have done it without my mates.” That remains my best after-match quote of all time. A humble quote after he had singlehandedly won the match.

“Blondes have more fun!” was an expression coined by Shirley Polykoff for a Clairol advert in 1955. Having watched the successful Over-50s Cricket World Cup matches in Cape Town last week, there is no doubt that “social cricketers have more fun!”

This amateur tournament was highly competitive. England, a formidable unit, ended as victors, defeating the Proteas in the final. The teams went through all the professional routines in game preparation, including a little more time with the masseur.

Australian Stirling Hamman, the originator and chair of the International Masters Cricket Committee, said: “Most of the teams want to come back to Cape Town in two years’ time. Cape Town simply shone.”

Hamman is a magician who simply loves cricket. His vision sparked the over 40s and 50s cricket becoming one of the fastest growing sectors of the game.

Ambassadors Barry Richards and Mike Procter did a great job engaging with the teams, sharing professional advice and experiences.

I reminded “Proccie” of the time when we were playing for Natal and Kevin McKenzie, after a blow to his arm, came in to bat down the order on a wet track. He destroyed our attack. Proccie gave McKenzie a barrage of bouncers and verbals, which McKenzie handled with disdain. Proccie called for some sawdust to prevent his front foot from slipping. As it was being delivered, McKenzie said loudly: “Hey Tickey, you have the sawdust, all you need now is the circus tent!” Proccie laughed the loudest.

Social cricket is also being celebrated this weekend when Nicky Oppenheimer hosts the 50th anniversary dinner of his NFO XI. His iconic ground in Randjesfontein welcomed many incoming international touring teams. Playing for Nicky was a privilege. He expected the game to be played with honour, commitment and a sense of fun. He is passionate about cricket and its strategies. We had many magical moments. In one match at Oranjemund, the normally genial, retired Australian bowler Garth McKenzie was hit with nonchalance through the covers for four by the Oranjemund opener. We saw Garth’s nostrils flare and could not wait to see his reaction. He stepped up a notch and took six wickets for 15 runs.

Another pearl came from veteran English cricketer Phil Edmonds. The NFO XI were playing the local White Waltham team in England. The match went down to the wire and Edmonds eventually took the last wicket with minutes to spare. He later said: “I felt more pressure in this match than I did when playing for England.” There is a fine balance between commitment and having fun.

Nothing beats reminiscing about the good times. Last week, Bev and I joined three former Natal cricket colleagues

— the Shorts, Henwoods and Dyers — for an annual flyfishing holiday in the Maluti Mountains. What could have been a disastrous trip owing to the relentless rain and zero opportunity to fish gave us hours to rehash all the old cricket stories from previous years. We were never short of new material. At our age, even the old stories seem original.

The downside to the modern era’s glut of professional cricket is that the outstanding performances are soon forgotten, as are their stories.