This guy on the other hand, scored 150 in a test match without wearing one...
This is Eric Rowan. He was born in Johannesburg in 1909 and played first class cricket for Transvaal and Eastern Province, as well Test cricket for South Africa. An often controversial and demonstrative figure, he regularly took on the cricketing establishment both on and off the pitch.
He made his Test debut in 1935 at the age of 25 when on tour to England, as a reward for a prolific few years opening the batting for Transvaal. Wisden reported: "He did not bat with either dignity or precision; he regarded his cricket in most lighthearted style; his confidence was amazing".
He had a stuttering early test career, with inconsistency meaning he was in and out of the team. His initial brimming self confidence playing for Transvaal as a youngster was especially bruised in his second tour for South Africa against Australia, when bowler Charlie Grimmett had him dismissed 5 times in his 6 innings, leading to him being dropped. A pre-war test recall was not forthcoming, and was reportedly as much due to an abrasive manner when it came to authority as it was about lack of runs.
Runs were fairly hard to come by in the subsequent pre-war years until in 1939 he scored a record 309 not out for Transvaal against Natal. This stood as a first class record in South Africa right up until 1993. The war curtailed this upward cricketing momentum however, with a South Africa not playing first class cricket again until 1945. Eric himself serving as a Lieutenant in the Armoured Car Regiment.
When first class cricket resumed, Eric picked up where he left off, nearly scoring a second triple century (284) in 1945 against Griqualand West. Despite his form he had to wait until 1948 until a Test recall came his way, when he was selected for the home series against England.
Perhaps a sign of his ability to rub people up the wrong way, it was announced during play in the second test that Eric would be dropped for the next test. The selectors clearly had an axe to grind! Eric proceeded to score 156 not out to save the test, reportedly so incensed that he went out forgetting to insert the all important box. He batted for 6 hours and reportedly found time to give the selectors a V sign from the middle. When questioned about this he said he was giving them a V for Victory and when told that it was wrong way round he replied "it depends what side of the ground you're sitting"
This performance was enough to get him restored to the test team for the next test, but his relationship with the captain Dudley Nourse remained strained. His performances on the field made him impossible to ignore however, scoring a Currie Cup record of 277 not out in 1950, then plundering 176 before lunch in a match against Rhodesia later the same year.
Further controversy followed in a 1951 Test against England at Old Trafford when he was batting with John Waite. So slow was the run rate, that the pair were slow hand-clapped by the increasingly restless spectators. In true rebellious Eric Rowan style, he and Waite responded by sitting down on the pitch and waited for the clapping to stop. Eric was later reportedly involved in a scuffle in the pavilion on the way off. Clearly his actions ruffled some feathers with the Lancashire faithful.
Despite the various spicy incidents, this 1951 tour proved to be the making of Eric. He was picked as vice captain, and often found himself leading the team due to injury to the skipper Nourse. He went on to dominate the tour with the bat. He hit his highest test score of 236 at Headingley and topped the batting averages in both test cricket and first class cricket. This was enough to see him named Wisden's Cricketer of the Year in 1951.
Somewhat surprisingly he was not retained in the South African squad the following year. Despite being 43 years old he was seemingly still in his prime as a batsman. He responded to his omission from the test squad by having his most prolific season in first class cricket. He retired from first class cricket shortly afterwards however, sensing a test return was not on the cards.
Post retirement he continued playing club cricket in Transvaal until the age of 51 for Jeppe Old Boys, and continued to work with schools for many more years. He passed away in 1993 aged 84.
Eric's career is beset by controversy, fall outs, fights and above all, tenacity. His greatest achievements came when he was going head to head with authority. Maybe it's urban legend that he scored that 150 against England without wearing a box, but it seems to fit with his overall story. He reportedly occasionally omitted his batting gloves as well. Whatever else he was, he was clearly a hard man who evokes a image of a 70's footballer - tough, muddy, an everyman. An image that's lacking in modern sport with all it's professionalism and scrutiny. Although the odd dust-up does happen on the pitch, to me it has often the air of spoilt kids who know the camera is on them (Virat Kohli, David Warner, Marlon Samuels, I'm talking about you in particular..). It seems Eric genuinely didn't care and played the game in his own way. And even if his story has the added the embellishment that time often brings, it's still a good one.
I certainly won't be doing away with my box though in tribute though..
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