On March 12, 2011, I found myself seated in the front row of the snazzy press box at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, in the centre of India. To my left was colleague Kevin McCallum, to my right an India cricket reporter.
The last over of a tense run chase beckoned for South Africa. Out in the middle was Robin Peterson on two, having faced just three balls and meeting him mid-pitch was Faf du Plessis, then in his seventh ODI and who’d superbly marshalled the middle and lower order as South Africa chased 297.
Ashish Nehra was tasked with defending 13 runs in that final over, the atmosphere was raucous and could be felt by us even through those thick glass windows of the press box. The India reporter next to me, upon seeing Nehra get the ball, shut his laptop and with a tone normally reserved for informing someone about the death of a loved one, said to me: “It’s over, you guys win, Nehra can’t bowl this.”
I interviewed Peterson a few days later about that last over and he told me he and Du Plessis shared a joke. What the joke was, he refused to say.
The first ball of that final saw Peterson go on an enormous drive seeking to hammer the ball through the covers. Instead, he got an inside edge, the ball flying past the Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni to fine leg for four. The India reporter gave me an I told you so,’ look. I might have told McCallum well that’s useful.’
The second ball will live me with me forever. Peterson absolutely crushed it over mid-wicket - going, going, goooone,’ I whispered to my colleague. Another drive for two which ended with Peterson flat on his face having dived to make the crease and then a cover drive for four and it was game over. Pandemonium ensued as various South African players charged on to the field. It was a helluva victory.
Peterson belongs to that category of unsung heroes of the Proteas. Besides Nagpur, there was Guyana in the 2011 World Cup when he also hit the winning runs in an extremely tense finish against Sri Lanka and in his excitement, smashed the stumps at the opposite end as he wielded his bat around in furious excitement, his Man of the Match performance against Pakistan at Newlands in 2013 - when he made his highest Test score of 84 and picked up five wickets - and of course his entry into the history books as the last bowler to dismiss the great Ricky Ponting.
It may feel as if his career has been of the bit part’ sort. He was never an established member of any SA team over the 11 year span of his international career, but by the same token, it’s easy to pick out moments of significance.
A personable and honest man, Robin John Peterson, who announced his retirement from all cricket on Wednesday, was (still is) one of the good guys. And yes, it helps that he’s an Arsenal fan, too.
One of the good guys of cricket has called it a day.
The Star