Cricket: Shaun the sheet anchor
Players come and players go, of course. But the path to the exit door has taken an excessive pounding from cricketers lately.
Shaun Pollock (pictured), the inestimable South Africa all-rounder, has retired, only a week after Adam Gilchrist of Australia announced his impending departure. Barely a year has passed since Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer went from the international scene. Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq soon followed. Soon doubtless, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly will bat their last.
This is a lot of legends to lose (not to mention totals of 77,892 international runs and 2,766 wickets) and the game will not easily replace their ability (to put bums on seats apart from anything else). Pollock was slightly more understated than the others, tending to get on with the business of bowling at the expense of all the other malarkey.
He was endelessly, or it seemed, reliable and played 108 Tests and 303 one-day internationals. Such records begged a question about England. Since Pollock made his limited overs debut in January 1996, the Englishman with the most appearances is Darren Gough with 148. It says something about both selectorial consistency and the whole approach to the short version of the game.
Pollock treated and treats his Christianity seriously. Not that he was above the odd exchange. It is said – though it is also true that the story has been told as long as there have been God-fearing men in the game – that in one match he feathered a catch behind.
Pollock did not walk and the umpire did not give him out. At the end of the over the keeper asked how such behaviour squared with his faith. To which came the reply: "In God's eyes we are all sinners."
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