Mark Rushmere 29 off 71 Balls 2 Fours vs West Indies 3rd ODI, Port of Spain, April 12, 1992 (CT)

Mr. Devotor

Mark Rushmere was once seen as one of South Africa’s brightest batting talents, a stylish right-hand opening batsman tipped for leadership and long-term success. He captained Eastern Province at a young age and featured in South Africa’s historic return to international cricket, including the 1992 World Cup. Yet, despite his promise, Rushmere played just one Test match.  In this video, we explore Mark Rushmere’s full cricket journey, including his international appearances, detailed Test, ODI, first-class, and List A statistics, and why his international career never truly took off. His domestic numbers tell a powerful story of consistency, leadership, and class—making his career one of South African cricket’s biggest “what-ifs.”  If you enjoy cricket history, forgotten cricketers, and deep dives into classic careers, this video is for you.  Hashtags  #MarkRushmere #SouthAfricaCricket #CricketHistory #ForgottenCricketers #TestCricket #ODICricket #DomesticCricket #CricketStats #CricketStories #CricketFans

Transcript

00:01Mark Rushmere's international story reads like one of the cricket's great what might

00:06have been tales.

00:07A stylish right-handed, opening bestman, he earned just a single test cap.

00:12South Africa's historic comeback match after isolation, against the West Indies in Babados.

00:17For a player once tipped as a prodigy, that long appearance came as a surprise.

00:22Mark Rushmere had won the leadership mantle early, captaining Eastern Province at just

00:282023 and after making his one-day debut at the 1992 World Cup.

00:32Let's watch his batting technique against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 1992 in the

00:38third ODI where he scored 29 runs of 71 balls.

00:58Watch there.

01:00Most of Patterson's previous deliveries had been coming in to Rushmere.

01:04That one just held its own passing just outside the off stump.

01:08Made more hype for him a little bit, he had a four off the previous ball and there really

01:16was no necessity for him to try and play the shot he did there.

01:23A little bit of fumbling, so things just going against the West Indies in this over.

01:32Larat back with square leg.

01:36That's how peculiar this game is, when things aren't going, but not quite.

01:49That's a glorious shot, that'll go all the way.

01:51Lovely shot for four, opening the face of the bat and square on the offside.

01:57So Rushmere begins to find a few shots, the series so far.

02:04Yes, they really have, they've really bowled, bowled particularly well and they've fielded

02:07very, very well, they have tremendous side at the moment.

02:13He's a long way down, just getting back in time, he was almost past the point of no return

02:19and Lara lurking in that position.

02:25I think that was a drop catch, I think it carried to Williams, certainly Rushmere got

02:34an edge on that one, it went away low to Williams' right and perhaps when we have a look at it

02:40again we'll be able to see whether that actually carried.

02:43What did you think Mike?

02:44I thought it carried dead close.

02:45Yes, so did I.

02:47Definite edge, a difficult chance, but a definite chance.

02:51Well, that's the first escape that South Africa have had today.

02:56Yes, I think that has to go down in the book as a chance.

03:00Oh, it's another edge, but this time Williams can't reach it.

03:05It's four runs, so Rushmere leading rather an edgy life at the moment.

03:10So that is the 50 up, it is 52 for no wiki.

03:14Your problem catching in the slips?

03:16Yes, well, Kepler's obviously a top slip catcher, and then after that we haven't got too many.

03:22A reasonable shot, but as you say, he's probably missing off stump.

03:27Oh, what a fine stroke.

03:28That was short, pulled round the corner.

03:30I don't think he's going for four.

03:31No, Patterson cuts it off, but two good runs to Rushmere, and the score at the end of the over, 60 for one.

03:42That is, I think, the loveliest view of Queen's Park Oval, looking across towards the northern range of mountains.

03:49We are in our little area, you see just the top of the side screen.

03:55Oh, that's a fine stroke.

04:00And what an amazing pickup that was by Kirtley Ambrose.

04:05What an astonishing fielder he is.

04:08That was hit very hard indeed, and golly, that was a phenomenal vis-a-fielder.

04:14Absolutely marvellous.

04:15You know, the athleticism of Kirtley, he's such a tall guy.

04:19There we see the shot again, really good shot from Mark Rushmere, hitting it straight,

04:22and really it had four runs written all over it.

04:25Ball bouncing along, bubbling along there, and Kirtley very, very easily just picks it up,

04:30casually turns around, and it would have been close.

04:34But going back to Roger Harper, yes, I hadn't seen him for a number of years,

04:38and his actions certainly had changed.

04:40But having said that, he did a great job yesterday, and he's bowling well again today.

04:46Well, Rushmere obviously decided he was coming down the wicket for that one.

04:51When he found the ball was a lot shorter than he anticipated, he was in trouble.

04:55And it just turned a little bit, that as well.

04:58He does vary it. He varies his pace, and he bowls the odd straight one, and one that turns a bit.

05:02So he's making life tough for the batsman.

05:04Oh, he's gone, he's gone, caught and bowled by Harper, by Harper's standards, that was a dolly.

05:17So Rushmere is out, caught and bowled by Harper, for 29.

05:24And as we were just saying there, players, again, that just showed, showed him very the pace,

05:28slow ball there, crosses it up, turned a little bit, and by West Indian Sand,

05:33standards of fielding, an absolute goddie.

05:37And the score now, 6-7 for two.

05:39He appeared destined for a long run at the top. Many even spoke of him as a future South African

05:47captain. But the game can be ruthless. His international chances slipped away as from

05:52deserted him, and critics seized on a perceived weakness against the hook shot,

05:57cost aside at the highest level. Mark Rushmere never found his way back into the national side.

06:03He called time on his playing career in 1999. Although his reputation at home remained intact,

06:09widely respected as one of the finest captains in domestic cricket. However, cricket, it seemed,

06:15was always in his blood. His father, Colin Rushmere, had been a dependable all-honor for

06:20eastern province and western province in the 1950s and 1960s. Mark Rushmere's test career was extremely

06:28short, but historically significant. He played one test match for South Africa, their first after

06:34readmission to international cricket against the West Indies in Barbados. In that match,

06:39he batted in two innings, scoring a total of six runs with a high score of three,

06:43resulting in a batting average of three. He neither bowled nor took a catch, and his test career ended

06:49with that single appearance. In one day, Mark Rushmere represented South Africa in four matches,

06:55all as a top-order passman. He played four innings and scored 78 runs, with a high score of 35.

07:01His batting average stood at 19.50, and he did not register any half-century or century.

07:08He was not used as a baller in ODIs and finished with one catch in the field. His ODI appearance

07:13included games during the 1992 World Cup South Africa first-hour returning to the global stage.

07:19Rushmere truly made his mark in first-class cricket, where his consistency and leadership

07:24shown through. He played 144 first-class matches, batting in 253 innings and amassing 8,494 runs,

07:33at a strong average of 39.32. His highest score was an impressive 188, and his tally included

07:4020 centuries and 41 half-century. Although primarily a specialist passman,

07:45he bowled occasionally taking two wickets and proved reliable in the field with 73 catches.

07:51These numbers underlined his stature as a high-quality, domestic performer.

07:56In listed cricket, Mark Rushmere was equally dependable. Across 189 matches,

08:01he played 176 innings and scored 5,455 runs at an excellent average of 37.62. His highest listed

08:10score was 139, and his run tally featured 6 centuries and 35 fifties. He did not ball in this format,

08:18but contributed in the field with 58 catches, further highlighting all his hour-round ability

08:23as it valued top-order bestman and leader. Overall, Mark Rushmere's statistics reflect

08:28a cricketer who dominated the domestic scene with consistency and class. Even though his international

08:34career never truly took off, his strong average and volume of runs in first-class

08:39analystic cricket explains why he was once seen as one of the Saudi Urika brightest batting prospects.

08:47If you liked this video, please comment, share and subscribe. Thank you very much.

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