Tony Greig - the lovable cricketer now ace commentator

By A. C. De Silva

CRICKET: Mention the name Tony Greig and all cricket fans in Sri Lanka will picture him at once. He has been a lover of cricket all over the globe, especially Sri Lanka and India. Right now he is in Sri Lanka and he was a key commentator in the Micromax Tri-Nation Cricket Series, the final which was played yesterday Aug 28 between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

He was the first England player to take five wickets in an innings and score century in the same Test against the West Indies at Bridgetown in the 1973-74 series. He also scored 3,000 runs and took 100 wickets for England in official Tests.

Greig, however, was a South African and wouldn't have played for England at all had not his father been born in Scotland, a fact that made Greig eligible for a British passport and, ultimately, a place in the England team.

While making it to the top Greig was working in a time frame - his father had made it clear that Tony should be a somebody in international cricket within four years of his signing up for Sussex. That was in 1967 and as it happened, in the next few years Greig didn't exactly set the Thames on fire.

In 1970, however, when the South African tour of England was cancelled, a makeshift series with the Rest of the World was arranged. The World team with its galaxy of stars such as Sobers, Kanhai, Graeme Pollock and Barlow whipped England by an innings in the first Test which forced the latter to make five changes for the second match. One of the new boys was Anthony William Greig. The second of the experts describes how Greig made the grade.

There was this 23-year-old with a broad South African accent, taking a place in the England side which many believed he was entitled to.

The English authorities elected to give Tony a chance, which had his admiration. It would have been very easy for the English authorities to ignore him and avoid the risk of inflating the anti-South Africa episode. But the English authorities stuck by the rules and acknowledged that Tony Greig was eligible by residence and the birthplace of his father, and decided that it was worth a try, knowing that as they put his name for England vs Rest of the World, 1970 that it was a controversial selection.

Instant success

The first day of Tony in the England team was very successful. Brought on as second change to follow John Snow, David Brown and Basil D' Oliveira, Tony Greig had Rohan Kanhai caught by Keith Fletcher at slip.

Basil D' Oliveira picked up Graeme Pollock for just two, but the initiative seemed to be slipping away again as Barry Richards and Clive Lloyd shared a half-century partnership and took the score to 106 for 3 wickets.

Greig's story began with the wicket of Richards, caught down the leg side by Alan Knott. Then 20 runs later he had the occasion to celebrate as he had the precious wicket of Garfield Sobers, who had dragged a wide one on to his stumps, and at the same score Greig added Farokh Engineer to his bag. The World XI was 126 for 6 and Greig had four wickets.

England went on to win that match by eight wickets. Greig scored only 14 runs,, but he had seven scalps - Richards and Sobers again, and Eddie Barlow, making up his second innings trio.

The MCC squad to tour Australia that winter was immediately picked after the Oval Test, but Greig, had the somewhat sorrowful moment when his name was not read out. Through sorrow filled in him, Greig prepared for a coaching stint with South African schoolboys.

He then received a telephone call from Donald Carr, Secretary of Test and Country Cricket Board, inquiring whether he would be available to tour Australia with a Rest of the World team captained by Garfield Sobers.

He 'okayed' his name for the tour and he gathered enough experience for the Ashes series against Australia. The First Test against Australia was at Manchester and he kept his place in the England team for an unbroken sequence of 58 Test appearances.

Cricket became Tony Greig's life to an extent where it was hard to imagine Greig doing anything else. The following winter's tour of India did nothing to lessen Greig's passion. It was the first MCC tour to India for some years and it was a trip of vital importance to him when he returned as England captain four years later.

Greig says that he really fell in love with the Indian crowds as the Indians have a passion for cricket that is difficult to explain. The Indians, Greig said, are noisy fiercely partisan, yet they will attach their affections to a visiting team or player just as easily.

The English team under the captaincy of Tony Lewis were popular with the crowds.

By Christmas, England had gone 1-up, having won at Delhi in very satisfying fashion. Tony Lewis and Greig knocked off the winning runs. However, England were narrowly beaten at Calcutta and hammered in the head at Madras.

The last two Tests were drawn to give India victory in the series, but Greig was able to make another personal ambition by scoring his first Test hundred - 148 in Bombay.

Cricketers visiting India need to employ considerable powers of self-discipline of pitches and crowds, climate and diet combined together produce a pressure more severe than in any other cricketing country.