Sutcliffe Emerges
Then a figure emerged from the tunnel and crossed the ropes. His head was wrapped completely in bandage. Though X-rays had revealed no fracture, the doctor suggested Sutcliffe stayed under observation for a few days.
Eric Dempster, 12th man of New Zealand, reminisced: “Bert had a lump the size of my fist behind his left ear. But they took X-rays and couldn’t find any fracture so dressed his torn ear-lobe and sent us back to the ground.”
But Sutcliffe would have none of it. He was fortified with bandage, and more: “I must confess I was fortified to some extent by a generous helping of Scotland’s chief product… and I don’t mean porridge.”
Rabone had tried to stop Sutcliffe, but the great man’s response was curt: “Have a look at the scoreboard. We’re too many gone, for not enough.”
Blood was still oozing out of his ears. Streaks of red appeared on his bandage as he approached the crease. He looked as white as a sheet. “My head was heavily bandaged, so much so I felt like a Sikh, and should perhaps be carrying a hockey stick instead of a bat,” Sutcliffe admitted. “I decided not to muck around.”
So he decided to live by the sword, and live by the sword he did. The third ball from Ironside landed in the stands. Two more came off Tayfield, who, I must remind here, was the most economic bowler of the era. Along with Mooney, he added 50 from 39 minutes. He smashed 4 sixes in all, was dropped twice, and lost Mooney (35) at the other end to Ironside before the pair put on 57.
The first mountain was conquered: the follow-on had been saved. MacGibbon and Overton fell in quick succession. Blair was not supposed to be back.
A taxi ride
As the radio kept updating with the proceedings at the ground, Blair had changed his mind at the hotel. He informed Kerr that he wanted to join his mates at the ground. A taxi was summoned, and the pair rushed to the ground.
Blair reached the ground to find Sutcliffe playing the most famous innings of his career. He padded up. As the players started to walk back, Blair walked out. The ground, cheering Ironside for his fifth wicket, was stunned in silence.
Sutcliffe walked up to the youngster and put him an arm around him. What he said have been immortalised in the history of the sport: “C’mon son, this is no place for you. Let’s swing the bat at the ball and get out of here.”
Brittenden wrote: “Looking down on the scene from the glass windows of the pavilion, the New Zealanders wept openly and without shame; the South Africans were in little better state, and Sutcliffe was just as obviously distressed. Before he faced his first ball, Blair passed his glove across his eyes in the heart-wringing gesture of any small boy anywhere in trouble but defiant.”
“I was fielding at square-leg and when he passed me on his way to the wicket, he had tears running down his cheeks. We all felt the same,” McLean said.
Bert Sutcliffe and Bob Blair at Ellis Park: A fairytale bigger than cricket - Latest Cricket News, Articles & Videos at CricketCountry.com
