Fanie De Villiers on his future (13 Mar 1998)

13 March

Fanie De Villiers on his future

Trevor Chesterfield

Port Elizabeth - South Africa's captain Hansie Cronje last night stood up for the retiring Fanie de Villiers whose test career is ending a blaze of fairy tale glory.

Cronje's blistering attack against a Sunday newspaper for their suggestion that one of the country's favourite sporting son's was a racist was found to be offensive by himself and the team.

Shortly after De Villiers took a career best six for 23 against Pakistan at St George's Park yesterday, an angry Cronje told a media briefing the South African team "on whose behalf I am talking" is 100% committed to the new South Africa.

De Villiers, who announced his retirement on Saturday, took his test career wicket haul to 88 in 18 tests which is a fraction under five wickets a test. He also admitted he was "deeply hurt" by the racist allegations referred to in the Sunday paper.

"If it had not been for Allan Donald I don't think I would have taken my six," he said last night. "He knocked over the top for and I merely did the rest."

Yet if anyone deserves the extra slice of luck after missing the tour of Australia earlier this season for setting up what looks to be a remarkable finale to career which began four years ago at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Kepler Wessels, his first test captain, felt De Villiers deserved all the credit which being showered on him yesterday for his ability to swing the ball.

De Villiers calls it "crucial wind drift" which slanted the ball away from the batsmen which enabled him to trap them into driving at the swinging delivery. And celebrating his fifth fifth-wicket haul at test level was his old teammte Pat Symcox who brought out the drinks with the fall of Shoiab Aktar's wicket.

Vinninge Fanie twice sat on the prospect of a hat-trick and narrowly missed the opportunity when Mushtaq Ahmed slashed the ball just over the outstretched hands of the slips cordon.

The 33-year-old swing bowler is to dedicate the first six years of his retirement to the development of young players and uplifting the standards of the game among the underprivileged. He has also signed a lucrative contract with the pay-channel M-Net to commentate on the up-coming limited-overs series next month.

Although his retirement came within hours of suggestions that a United Cricket Board policy of affirmative action for the tour of England had forced his "premature retirement" which Vinnige Fanie has strenously denied.

"There is no truth in that allegation or that it has anything to do with the disciplinary charges on Wednesday," he said before the third day's play of the deciding test against Pakistan at St George's Park.'

Cronje said the players all understood the importance of cricket development in the new South Africa and a team representing the whole nation.

"It is also important to have the whole nation support the side," he said. "The players have gone out of their way to assist children who are predominantly non-white.

He then wanted to clear up what had happened in Durban and the players will no longer answer questions on racial or any issues other than cricket.

Cronje said the players had been "consistently abused when walking on to the oval at Kingsmead by members of the public out of one area"

The players involved were Allan Donald and Jacques Kallis and the message conveyed to the players was "one of racial abuse". He wanted to clear up the situation after Kallis had complained about abusive remarks made at him.

"Fanie and Paddy (Upton) were sent down to address the situtaion after it was felt it had gone too far. They talked to the individual to sort out the matter. Until that stage no offensive remarks had been made. "The spectator declined (the invitation) but aplogised for their action and that is where we left the situation and the next day the matter was reported to Cassim Docrat (NCU CEO).

"At no stage was Fanie involved in any racial abuse toward any spectator and I want to make this abundantly clear," Cronje said. "What is upseting is that a player who goes through 11 years at first-class level and serves South Africa is made out in his retirement to be a racist," he added.

Cronje said the newspaper should apologise to De Villiers as he will be spending the next six years helping the youngsrers.

"I feel it is important for Fanie's name to be cleared. And at no stage, during this issue, was he accused of racisim. But I believe the article made him to look like a racist and suggested it may have been one of the reasons for Fanie's retirement."

The highly popular Northerns Titans fast bowler, who ends his first-class career with Northerns' SuperSport Series game against Western Province at Centurion Park next weekend, was highly critical of comments that the charges facing the players on Wednesday are those of racism.

"As you know, I had made a decision at Christmas that this was going to be my last season," he said yesterday. "The South African selectors need to move forward and my retiring makes it easier for them to select from the young crop of fast bowlers now emerging."

Trevor Chesterfield Cricket writer Pretoria News tche@ptn.independent.co.za