Bangladesh will really learn from Tests
Since South Africa's readmission, no cricketer has been more closely linked with the highs and lows of the country's cricket than legendary fast bowler Allan Donald during his playing days. In Part One of this interview, he talked about hitting his peak between 1995 and '99, and those were some of the best years of South African cricket too. In Part Two of his interview with The Daily Star's Sakeb Subhan, the great speedster talks about his debut ODI which also happened to be South Africa's first international match in 20 years, the two World Cup exits, and the way forward for Bangladesh cricket. The following are excerpts.
The Daily Star (TDS): How was it like being part of South Africa's readmission, playing that first ODI in India and taking those five wickets in 1991?
Allan Donald (AD): I don't think you could have written a better script than that to be honest. Arriving in Calcutta that morning, we didn't realise what a reception we would get, first of all, and what an impact it had on Indian people. And to arrive in Calcutta with hundreds of thousands of people lining the road, that for me was just an eye-opener of note. And playing in front of 107,000 people, taking five for 20-odd, that for me was just a dream come true, especially at Eden Gardens where it was loud. Although we won, we lost that series 2-1, just the experience was invaluable.
TDS: The four great fast bowlers of the West Indies faded in the 1990s, and as far as extreme pace was concerned, it was you and Waqar Younis... did you have a rivalry?
AD: I liked Glenn McGrath. He followed that world ranking quite closely. You see your name in the number one spot and you know you are going to have to work your socks off to stay there over the next calendar year. I know Glenn McGrath was quite fixed on that. And Waqar, geez, there's not many more competitive than the two Ws. Wasim and Waqar were just devastating. I think the best I ever played against was Wasim Akram. I think he was the most complete fast bowler in my era and this is not knocking the great West Indians of their era, but he was just unbelievable. White ball, red ball... best I have ever seen. There is no one better, no one more skilful in bowling with the old ball in any format of the game. He was it. And again, it was awesome to sit with Wasim, he was very keen to share his knowledge and share his experience with the older ball and how he worked it out bowling from angles on the crease. I could watch him all day reversing the ball. He was the greatest I have ever seen.
TDS: Which one hurt you more, the 1992 World Cup exit or the 1999 one?
AD: '92 wasn't so bad. We came back to a reception like we had won the World Cup. You can't do anything about the weather; it happens. '99 was, to be involved in that mistake [mix-up with Lance Klusener that cost South Africa their last wicket], it will never be forgotten.
TDS: You also took four wickets in that match.
AD: Yeah, four-for, had a great day with the ball. I actually did a talk out here at the beginning of this year at one of the cricket clubs and I was asked that question and I threw the question back at the floor and I said: "Can anyone remember how many wickets I took that day?" and I swear to you, not one person knew how many wickets I took that day. I said go and look it up. But that is what people will remember you for, that moment, and that's it.
TDS: Coming to batsmen, who would you rate as the best you bowled to?
AD: I think the three guys I would rate as the very best... obviously number one, technically, who could adjust his technique to any conditions was Sachin [Tendulkar], just patient, well-organised, well-balanced. He would get himself in, then go hard. From a technical point of view he was outrageous. Second guy which I describe as an absolute genius is [Brian] Lara. Pure brilliance. Completely attacking-minded, would hit good balls for four, would upset your length. Very, very difficult to get out once he is flowing. But I feel with him you had a chance to take him on. Take him on, you had a chance. But once he is on a run, I found him so hard to stop.
Number three from a pure resilience point of view was Steve Waugh. Just gutsy as hell... and he thrived on playing against South Africa. Loved the challenge, wanted to be there, wanted to be on the hot seat. Tough man, took a lot of balls on the body. When he got himself in, you just found him very tough to remove. Look, there were a lot of great players out there. But those three for me were the top three I bowled to.
TDS: The one that you bowled Tendulkar with, in Durban 1996, after he hit you for two boundaries, was that one of the best balls in your career?
AD: I'll probably say that was the best ball I ever bowled, but maybe that's because it was Sachin. It was a decent delivery I must say. (Laughs when reminded that it was lightning quick) On a very quick pitch as well. Nipped back a touch too. When you knock over someone of that calibre like that, it doesn't always happen, but when it does it feels three times better.
TDS: How do you see the T20 thing and fast bowling now as opposed to before?
AD: I think the form of Twenty20 cricket has taken bowling to another level. It has become almost a one-sided affair with the bat. I think bowling has caught up. It's taught us a great deal about where the skill levels need to be. It's taught us new ways to train, being more specific in training than having a monotonous net. So you're working purely on your skill or a skill that is needed for Twenty20 cricket or for 50-over cricket. You've got 24 balls and you have to strategise very well. You're never out of it, and somehow you're never in it. You need to be very clear in what you are doing. That is what it has taught me -- I've only played two games provincially when it was a hit-and-giggle to start with. Now it's absolutely enormous.
I still think it's a batsman's game. Now there's a restriction on the bats. It was just getting ridiculous, stupendous how big the bats are. A lot of batsmen will probably crucify me for saying this – "Spoken like a true bowler, go and cry somewhere else" (laughs). But because of the size of the bats and how far these guys hit the ball now. It doesn't matter if it's a small ground or a big ground.
TDS: With Bangladesh, you talked about the bowlers lacking creativity and not playing many Tests. Do you think the answer would be to play more Test cricket?
AD: I think so, that's where you learn your best cricket. That's where you understand yourself, where you have to experiment much quicker, and much longer and being patient with that. We always talk about white ball cricket -- that the ball has got to reverse, find the way to the ball reversing. It only has to swing that much to make a difference (makes a space about a bat's width with his palms). But I think the best learning is coming from the longer version of the game. I think that's where Bangladesh will really learn from, in the longer formats.
This is but an unforgivable condensation of the great man's wide-ranging and generous interview. If you want to read the whole transcript, you can find it on The Daily Star's online page.
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