Jonty Rhodes' century
Ken Borland
21 January 1999
Jonty Rhodes' blistering assault on the West Indies bowlers during the
final Test at Centurion Park, in which he reached the fastest South
African Test century in terms of balls faced, was another reminder of
the Natal star's selflessness.
Rhodes has never worried about his own career statistics and has
proved time and again that the team good is always his primary aim. He
has often shown himself to be willing to risk his own wicket, chasing
runs in flamboyant fashion in order to meet whatever target or run
rate the captain has asked for.
Regarding the record, Rhodes' 103 not out, in 104 minutes off 95
balls, may well be South Africa's fastest ever.
The record in terms of time belongs to Jimmy Sinclair, who scored 104
in 80 minutes against Australia at Newlands in 1902/03, but how many
balls he actually faced cannot be answered with any certainty.
Sinclair, who scored South Africa's first Test century (106 v England,
Jhb 1898), was a renowned big-hitter and fast bowler who developed
into one of our top all-rounders of all time. In 25 Tests he finished
with over 1 000 runs and three centuries, and took 63 wickets at an
average of just above 30.
But he was playing in the days when the over-rate was up to 20 to the
hour, and this makes comparisons with Rhodes' time of 104 minutes
impossible. The scant records of the day do not state how many balls
each batsman faced, so if Sinclair took most of the strike during his
80 minutes at the crease, then one cannot automatically assume he
faced less than 95 balls.
That Rhodes had the chance to grab a third Test century is just reward
for a team man through and through, and captain Hansie Cronje paid
tribute to the Natalian's attitude. ``He sent a message out shortly
before drinks to say whatever score he was on, we could
declare. That's the sort of team man he is and that's the sort of
commitment he has.''
Rhodes, whose other Test centuries have necessitated getting his head
down and digging in, will seldom have a hundred dished up so
invitingly on a plate again. He came in with the score 256 for four
and the demoralised West Indian bowlers toiling on a pitch which
wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, the first-innings centurion, described as
``having nice bounce and allowing you to play your shots''.
The West Indians wilted in the hot sun as Rhodes first of all hammered
them through the off-side with a series of delicious cover-drives and
then sent their bouncers straight into the crowd beyond square-leg.
It was a sublime display of batting for the 17 500 spectators and
those who watched it on TV, and it is unlikely a more spectacular
innings will be played this season.
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