Ken Austin

Ken Austin, who lived to the grand old age of 95, was the longest-lived of Rhodesian cricketers. He was a useful allrounder, a very correct batsman who could open and a very slow legspinner whose first-class record does him little justice. He was educated at St Aidan's School at Grahamstown in the eastern Cape but, dissatisfied with his job in the bank after leaving school, successfully applied for a position in the civil service in Salisbury (now Harare) in 1927. With a good school and club record behind him, he found himself making what he called a 'baptism of fire' for Rhodesia against Transvaal within a year; the fast bowler Brissenden was more than he and his team-mates could easily handle. His job restricted his cricket during the 1930s, but he returned to the national side after World War II, after an 18-year gap; interestingly all his five matches were against Transvaal, one as captain.
John Ward