South African · Durban, South Africa · Born 27 February 1944 · Died 2022-08-20Graeme Pollock was a South African batsman whose Test career was cut short by his country's sporting isolation but who retired with the second-highest Test batting average in history.
Graeme Pollock's Test batting average of 60.97 is bettered only by Don Bradman among players with a substantial career — a statistic made all the more striking by South Africa's forced withdrawal from international cricket after just 23 Tests, cutting short what could have been one of the game's defining careers. He scored 274 against Australia in a legendary 1970 innings, combining with Barry Richards in a stand remembered as one of the finest hours of batting in South African cricket history. Pollock's career figures place him among the very greatest in cricket history: his Test batting average is bettered only by Don Bradman among players with a substantial career, an extraordinary statistic given the eras and bowling attacks he faced. He captained South Africa during their brief return to international cricket before the country's isolation. In 1971, alongside Barry Richards and Mike Procter, Pollock took part in a symbolic anti-apartheid protest, walking off the field after a single ball during an exhibition match and issuing a joint statement in support of merit-based, non-racial selection for South African teams touring abroad. South Africa's expulsion from international cricket later in 1970 curtailed what could have been one of the greatest careers in the sport's history. Pollock continued to play prolifically in South African domestic cricket for years afterward, and has remained a revered, if financially under-recognised, figure in his country's cricketing history.
South Africa's greatest batsman, second-highest Test average of all time among long-career players
How They Played
Elegant, powerful left-handed strokemaker with a classical technique
Lasting Impact
Regarded as one of the finest batsmen in cricket history, whose career was tragically curtailed by apartheid-era politics
Career Honours
- South Africa's all-time leading Test run-scorer at the time of isolation
- second-highest Test batting average ever among players with 20+ innings
- ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
South African Athletes