MiD DAY catches up with South African Norman Gordon, who will turn 100 this August
MiDu00a0DAY catches up with South African Norman Gordon, who will turn 100 this August
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Those impish eyebrows, adorable laughter, childish empathy, esteem for a journalist quarter his age... it was a date with the oldest living Test cricketer and it is the sort of episode knowledge-seekers travel the world for.
Norman Gordon, the only cricketer alive to have played in the Timeless Test, would turn 100 on August 6 later this year. Eric Tindill, who played rugby and cricket for New Zealand, previously held the baton of the longest surviving Test cricketer until he passed away lastu00a0August at 99 years and 226 days. "I am aware of it, but it's not quite the way you want to set a record, is it?" Gordon asks just minutes after the introduction.
Those days...
An honorary member of Houghton Golf Club, Gordon comes to the club everyday at 2 pm with his son Brian to wile away the afternoon. It wasn't a difficult task to get the former South Africa fast bowler to take a walk down memory lane and absorb not just this correspondent, but even his son, who admits to have learnt more about his father. Gordon's parents migrated from Russia to Johannesburg in the 19th century. "I am glad they moved to South Africa, or I would have never played cricket. I first saw a Test match when I was 10 years old.
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The Australian team had returned from Europe after the First World War. They stopped here to play a few Tests. That day when I was at the Wanderers (The old Wanderers) I saw Gregory and McDonald - two of the greatest fast bowlers I had ever seen. That day my love for fast bowling went up a notch," he says.
Gordon admits to have received top-class coaching in school days: "I had two professional coaches from England, who came to Jeppe Old Boys - one of the best cricket schools in the country.u00a0 My grandmaster was very adamant, he told me to bowl on the wicket, or not bowl at all. He said there was no use bowling outside off or outside leg, but to just hit the wicket. I was lucky to receive the best-possible coaching." He made his Test debut against England in December 1938, playing every Test of the five-match series. "Before my first Test at Wanderers, somebody from the crowd yelled, 'here comes a rabbi' because I was Jewish. I got five wickets that day, and he shut up. Occasionally, there was talk of anti-Semitism. It didn't really affect my game though. There was a tour to England right after World War II, but I wasn't picked because of anti-Semitism.
However, what I experienced was nothing compared to the blacks and Asians. I was blessed enough to play for Transvaal and South Africa," he said.u00a0
"Luckily, I never got affected by World War II. I just played cricket, and was oblivious to everything else. I was being captained by Wally Hammond ufffd for Transvaal. There's nothing more I could ask for. However, one of my two brothers fled to Egypt to join the army. I never diverted my mind from sports," he added.
His last match was in the legendary Timeless Test in March 1939. He was the last man with the ball in his hand as the umpires finally had to abandon the game after 10 days so England could catch an 8.05 pm train to Cape Town to make their ship, the Athlone Castle, home. Gordon had bowled 92.2 eight-ball overs, and with the weather closing in and England chasing a win, there may have been an 11th day. Wisden reported there was talk that the squad could go on and leave the two not-out batsmen and the four yet to bat behind to play on, or even that a plane could be chartered to replace the train. Hilarious!
Gordon regrets not having played against West Indies and India: "I wish I had played against the three W's (Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott), Indians and Pakistanis. They are great cricketers. You won't get players like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara for another 100 years. They play the game with so much passion. In the 50's and 60's I used to take cricketers to play against Indian schools. When I did so, the government here used to give me a hard time, asking me why I was encouraging them. I told them there were no barriers for people who loved cricket."
The 99-year-old rues the current state of fast bowlers sledging batsmen: "I can't stand the way the players behave today. They are sledging each other. I am surprised umpires don't stop it. I could never talk a batsman out. It makes me laugh that bowlers are off after five-over spells these days. We used to bowl 15-over spells, never had personal trainers and bowling coaches. Despite all perks, modern day bowlers break down every now and then.u00a0
"There's way too much planning that goes on today. Those days, as a bowler, you got the fields you wanted.
The captain trusted you. You were never given instructions. If you needed an extra man at gully, the captain would oblige. Cricket wasn't taken so seriously, it was just a game. You had great friends on the other side.
After the game we used to socialise, have a drink. These days they don't see each other after a game," he said.
Gordon revealed he was paid two pounds a day during Test matches: "I worked as a stock broker for almost 30 years, even while playing for South Africa and Transvaal. I used to be paid just two pounds a day for out-of-pocket expenses for Tests. There was no money whatsoever while playing for Transvaal. We had to buy our own kits. Now, cricketers live like lords. I wish I was born 80 years later. I would have made a lot of money," he laughed.u00a0 Asked to give his two cents to fast bowlers of the current generation, he said: "I cannot understand the long run-ups, you must start slowly and work up to full pace five yards before you deliver.
To many theories
"They start with a lot of speed; idea is to work up to speed. Ray Lindwall used to run from the boundary, which I thought was ridiculous. Ditto with Mike Procter. Problem with young bowlers is they put so much pressure on their bodies. It is important to have a smooth run-up. Dale Steyn and Glenn McGrath are good examples for youngsters to follow. These are guys who can last for 10-15 years. I was lucky to have swung the ball both ways. I am surprised bowlers these days have all sorts of theories to try and swing the ball. There are too many complications, too much advice floating around.u00a0 Personally, if I could turn back the clock, I'd like to emulate McGrath ufffd the most accurate bowler ever," he added.u00a0
"Ali Bacher has promised me a huge party when I turn 100. I'm going to make sure I am there for it. He told me not to go for the big shots and that's the way I would reach 100," an emotional Gordon concluded.
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