Alan Donald retires from all Cricket

[superkingdave]

neck injury - sad news. He's going to carry on coaching though.

Let this be the tribute thread - Awesome bowler

 

[Slats4ever]

how sad... bye bye allan

 

[Langeveldt]

Possibly the one reason I'm here talking about cricket..

Thanks for the memories Allan..

 

[Langeveldt]

Possibly the one reason I'm here talking about cricket..

Thanks for the memories Allan..

*Sob* - Well that was all a bit emotional.. Im off to bed, hopefully tomorrow will not be packed with such bad news..

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Ashamed to say that I didn't realize he was still playing cricket. Never put too much thought into it, but just assumed he'd retired completely when he bowed out of internationals.

 

[Pratters]

I also thought he had retired from FC cricket along with the internationals.

The best memory of Donald I have is the ball with which he bowled Tendulkar.

Donald started international cricket the same day I started watching it in Eden in 1991.. He has been the best fast bowler along with Ambrose I have ever seen (that is bowling live which means post 1990). At their peak I rate him above McGrath, who has been awesome as well and Gillespie (very lethal 96-98) .. As far as accuracy goes, there is no beating McGrath at his best though.

 

[NikhilN]

Really sad news. I loved watching him bowl, and getting run out. My fav and the best SAF bowler ever!

 

[Richard]

Ashamed to say that I didn't realize he was still playing cricket. Never put too much thought into it, but just assumed he'd retired completely when he bowed out of internationals.

You seriously didn't notice all those Free State games where he took the new-ball with Pretorius last season?

 

[Richard]

neck injury - sad news. He's going to carry on coaching though.

Let this be the tribute thread - Awesome bowler

A terrible shame injuries blighted the end of a glorious career.
Certainly my 2nd-favourite bowler of my time watching.
Him leaving the field in tears against Australia was IMO one of the greatest injustices in cricket - along with Wasim leaving with a similar injury against Bangladesh.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

You seriously didn't notice all those Free State games where he took the new-ball with Pretorius last season?

I don't generally follow South African domestic cricket.

 

[shaka]

He was always a great bowler, hope he becomes a bowling coach for the proteas. Everytime he bowl, the batsman feared for their wicket.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Everytime he bowl, the batsman feared for their wicket.

Doubtful whether that was the case at the end of his international career. He really looked like he'd jumped the shark at that point.

 

[Deja moo]

If only the 2003 WC wasnt to be held in SA, Donald could have bowed out the way he deserved to...at his best.

 

[Richard]

Doubtful whether that was the case at the end of his international career. He really looked like he'd jumped the shark at that point.

The injuries didn't help - in his penultimate Test-series (counting the home-away Australias as one) he still looked, while not as brilliant as his absolute heyday, quite a handful.
You, of course, should remember the thing more acutely than I do, as it was in West Indies.
By the time 2001\02 came round, he'd had several injuries and they quite clearly reduced his effectiveness.

 

[Richard]

I don't generally follow South African domestic cricket.

Really?
I'm surprised to hear that.
You always struck me as someone who'd glance over the scores in all domestic games (well, except maybe subcontinental ones, of which there are too many to bother) like me.

 

[Piper]

Possibly the one reason I'm here talking about cricket..

Thanks for the memories Allan..

I knew you would say something like that.
Yeh he has given me so many memories, and i would have been scared to have him running towards me when i was battin.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Really?
I'm surprised to hear that.
You always struck me as someone who'd glance over the scores in all domestic games (well, except maybe subcontinental ones, of which there are too many to bother) like me.

England and Australia, occasionally New Zealand and South Africa. I didn't do anything above checking a couple of South African games last season. That too was only in search for stats for a post.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

If only the 2003 WC wasnt to be held in SA, Donald could have bowed out the way he deserved to...at his best.

He was struggling before the WC though.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The injuries didn't help - in his penultimate Test-series (counting the home-away Australias as one) he still looked, while not as brilliant as his absolute heyday, quite a handful.

Pretty sharp. 14 or 15 wickets (14 I think) from memory and an average that couldn't have been much higher than the mid20s. There was one particular Test, the 5th (I remember because we won that one), when he and Pollock shared 9 wickets as the West Indies was all out for 220odd. Pollock took 5/28 and Donald took 4 for 50odd.

I enjoyed that series a lot. Walsh was in his prime and Ramnarine looked quite the prodigy.

 

[Richard]

Ramnarine was about 30 by then, wasn't he?
Apart from Donald, Pollock and Walsh, Kallis didn't bowl badly either.