Legendary South African Jonty Rhodes Reveals His Fielding Inspiration
Aug 10, 2017 at 6:15 PM
The Story
Acrobatic fielding and Jonty Rhodes are synonyms to each other in the cricketing world. They are interlinked. No one expanded the scope in the fielding department more than him.
Some create revolution while some freaks become the “revolution” themselves and Rhodes were, unarguably, one of them as a cricketer.
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He set a new benchmark during his playing days and after the end of his career is busy spreading the art of fielding with budding cricketers.
However, many times, people have wondered about the inspiration behind his attitude towards the fielding department and aspect which was largely neglected during the early 90’s and the era preceding it.
In a recent interview, the secret was finally out.
Speaking with Cricbuzz, Rhodes, who is currently in India mentoring with TNPL franchise Ruby Trichy Warriors, revealed that he sought inspiration from his countryman, former batsman, Peter Kirsten.
“Peter Kirsten. We didn’t have any televised international cricket when I was at school during the apartheid era. Dean Jones was good on the outfield, had a strong arm and ran well between the wickets.”
“But, I played against Kirsten and I respected him on the field. I haven’t heard or seen former South African fielding great Colin Bland. There wasn’t much footage of him.”
About Peter Kirsten
Peter Kirsten was a prominent name in the Apartheid era of South African cricket and made his national debut very late owing to the political turmoil. The half-brother of Gary Kirsten was known for his quick running between the wickets and strong throwing arm which cut short many doubles into just singles.
The Lethal Blow
Peter Kirsten is specifically remembered by cricket fans for the serious blow which Glenn McGrath inflicted on him in 1992 at Perth during a One day game against Australia. He seemed completely clueless about his shot selection and eventually ended up getting smashed by the rising delivery on his skull. The blow was serious and knocked him off his feet.
A stretcher had to be called to take him off the field for further medical attention.
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