00:00The sunset debut, Clive Rice at Eden Gardens. The date was November 10, 1991, and the air
00:07at Eden Gardens in Kolkata was thick with anticipation. Over 90,000 fans packed the
00:13stands, not just to watch a game of cricket but to witness a monumental moment in sporting history.
00:19South Africa returned to international cricket. Leading the parties was Clive Rice,
00:24a man who had become a legend in the shadow of the sporting band.
00:28For Clive Rice, this was not just a match, it was the culmination of a lifetime of betting.
00:34When he stepped onto the field to make his ODA debut that day, the irony was palpable,
00:39while most players start their international journey as hungry youngsters.
00:43Clive Rice was a veteran of 20 seasons. He had conquered English county cricket and dominated
00:49the domestic scenes. But because of the political climate of his era, he was forced to wait until
00:55the very end. By the time he finally earned his official South African cap, he had almost
01:01finished his career, making him one of the oldest and most experienced Rockies the game had ever seen.
01:07So let's watch his ODA perform.
01:09Wes is going for that laid back cut. I'm getting a thick inside edge, pulling the ball onto the stumps.
01:20Welcome, here comes our captain Clive Rice, a veteran of many battles, 42 years old,
01:25Nottinghamshire, played for South Africa in home series, has captained South Africa before,
01:31certainly captains them this time. Great campaigner, great all-rounder, in his full light
01:37years cricket-wise, is being asked now to...
01:54So, 37th over, 109 for 4, South Africa, Tendulka, the Bola, Clive Rice, the Bola.
02:08Unlucky for a lot.
02:30Clive Rice making a comeback to big cricket, just like Bob Simpson did in 77-78 at a similar age.
02:38It's interesting to think that he could easily have children older than Sachin Tendulkar.
02:46Vast generation gap there.
02:51Yes, and cricket the greatest leveler of them all.
02:58Wearing the line, bowling down the leg side. A touch of genius there in this little lad.
03:05What super keeping.
03:07Well, we know what Azharuddin was thinking then. All-round
03:12with men like Marshall, along with men like Imran Khan, Ian Bothan, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadley.
03:21There have been all-round competitions around the world, and Rice, where he has been allowed to
03:27participate, has always done well.
03:33And a great battler.
03:41Back with Sreenath, bowling his eighth over from the clubhouse end to Clive Rice.
03:57Well, he certainly didn't time that.
04:01If he isn't a motor racing, his timing should be a little better than this,
04:03because the hazards there are much worse than here.
04:07You're quite right. Same with big game hunting.
04:11Yeah.
04:12Depends on the game.
04:19Sorry, it's only fishing.
04:22Yeah, well, big game fishing is not done much outside the Ostom yet.
04:29Well, that was well bowled.
04:31Really coming back a long way from outside the Ostom.
04:34And you saw the appreciative applause from the crowd, Jai.
04:40Well bowled again.
04:42Rice is just a little bit too eager.
04:45And Sreenath has seen that.
04:48It was between the 30th and the 35th.
04:51A little quiet again after the loss of the wicket of Kepler vessels.
05:00A deep fine leg.
05:04On strike.
05:06And a slower delivery from Sreenath.
05:11And it will be the South African skipper to take on.
05:15But he's got in the South African inning.
05:17The skipper Clive Rice walks back after a brief but a reasonably entertaining stay.
05:2314 and 23.
05:25Bowled by Prabhakar.
05:28Let's have a look at that.
05:33Swinging Yorker.
05:35Rice not dinging it.
05:37You can see the bat thing.
05:39And 19 balls.
05:41Strokes both in front of the wicket and behind.
05:44All together a beautiful innings and worth a mile to go and see.
05:57He has the exuberance of youth and the maturity of a very senior cricketer.
06:02Flare Rice.
06:08I see that bat and pads look close together.
06:15Oh.
06:26I'd say that was very very close.
06:28Because it must have been missing the ostom by a whisker.
06:32Or even a coat of paint.
06:39Oh.
06:46He has the best shot.
07:01He's got a hat trick to boot.
07:03And he has the best shot.
07:03playing against the Australians in the mid-80s in one-day cricket.
07:09And Amri not knowing anything about that.
07:11No ball as well.
07:16Well, the thing about Clive Rice is that he has been bowling to a perfect target,
07:23right on target, that is, on the off-stamp,
07:25and doing it both ways,
07:28leaving the bat and the odd one, like one we saw now,
07:31which Amri got from inside the edge onto it.
07:33The ball coming back at the batsman.
07:35A superb controlled spell of medium-fast bowling.
07:42It's going to be Kapil Dev.
07:45Taking strike to Rice.
07:51Above the side screen at the clubhouse end, it's been sorted out.
07:55Clear zero.
07:58Indeed, tremendous amount of responsibility now,
08:01resting on the shoulders of this pair.
08:07Mathematics for you.
08:13Rice to Kapil Dev.
08:15That is watchful.
08:24The performance itself was a snapshot of a master craftsman,
08:28playing a sporting role for his team,
08:30facing disciplined Indian attack.
08:32Clive Rice scored 14 runs of 23 balls, including one crisp four.
08:37It was not a well-voined inning, but it was a composed display of the technique that had made him
08:43feared across the globe for decades.
08:45He anchored his side during a crucial period, ensuring that South Africa's historic return was marked by dignity and current.
08:53His contribution was not limited to the bat.
08:56When India took the crease, Clive Rice showcased his tactical discipline that had defined his captaincy.
09:02In the same match, Clive Rice bowled only five hours, which cost 14 runs without taking any wicket.
09:08Although his name did not appear in the wicket column,
09:11His economy rate kept the Indian stars like Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjurekar in check, proving that even at the
09:18tail end of his career, he could still hold his own on the world stage.
09:22Ultimately, Clive Rice's ODA debut was less about the statistics and more about the symbol.
09:28He played only three one-day international in total.
09:31But those matches were the long-awaited reward for a man who kept the flame of South African cricket alive
09:37during its darkest years.
09:38He walked off the field in Kolkata, not just as a debutant, but as a pioneer, who finally got to
09:44lead his country into a new era.
09:47So cricket fans, where does Clive Rice rank among the all-time greats in your book?
09:52I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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