Clive Rice: The cricketer who kept on going

Born on July 23, 1949, South African cricketer Clive Rice was a lethal fast bowler, an exceptional middle-order batsman, and a brilliant captain. But what inspired people around him was his will to persist, no matter what.

Amongst the unfortunate lot of talented South African cricketers who couldn't represent their nation at the international level owing to the sports isolation, Rice was widely believed to be as talented as the superstar all-rounders of the 1980s - Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan.

Instead, Rice’s career was limited to just three One-Day Internationals (ODI) at the fag end of his career, in which his performance was forgettable.

Born in Johannesburg, Rice was drawn to cricket by his grandfather, Philip Bower, who had played first-class cricket for Oxford University post-World War I. Rice would take up cricket early in his career and get noticed while playing for Bedfordview cricket club. 

His season for Transvaal in 1969 had even earned him a call-up for the South African national team, set to tour Australia in 1971-72 before the sporting boycott intervened Rice's potential debut for the nation. Unfortunately, it was his first and last chance to appear in a Test. But, this didn’t stop Rice from doing what he loved. 

A natural fast bowler, Rice's insane mindset to adapt to his surroundings and be of optimum use had nudged him to improve his batting, which made him a useful domestic player upon his arrival in England in 1973 to play for Lancashire League side Ramsbottom. His efficacy as a utility player saw Nottinghamshire sign him to replace Garfield Sobers in 1975 and thus started a partnership that created history.

Rice had wasted no time making an impact, especially in the 1977 season, when Wisden characterised Nottinghamshire’s season as "Rice With Everything". He was made the captain the following year, and despite not being a master tactician, Rice was clever enough to pick the brains of the senior cricketers in the dressing room to find his way.

Perhaps this practicality led Rice to play a few matches in the 1979 Kerry Packer World Series for the World XI team, where he earned quick bucks. This wasn't taken lightly by the Nottinghamshire management, and they suspended Rice from the club, although the player would challenge the decision in the high court and return to lead the side after the management backtracked.

Reinstating Rice to captaincy was perhaps the best decision Nottinghamshire would ever make, as the all-rounder would turn their mediocre team to title contenders for the next decade. Nottinghamshire hadn't won the championship since 1929 before Rice led the side to the title in 1981 and was named Wisden Player of the Year.

Rice’s success with Nottinghamshire should also be attributed to New Zealand fast bowler Richard Hadlee, who had joined the side in 1979 and started a 10-year opening bowling partnership with Rice that fetched the team two titles. Using Trent Bridge's green track, the duo would often wage war on opponents' opening batsmen. 

Apart from winning the championships in 81 and 87, Rice had brought his team dangerously close to a third title in 1984. In Rice's final season with Nottinghamshire, he had even led them to the 60-over Natwest Trophy title, where Rice had scored a crucial 63-run knock to beat Northamptonshire in the final.

Rice would end his first-class cricket career with 26,331 runs and 930 wickets - numbers that were impressive even by domestic cricket standards. Perhaps his persistence landed him a captaincy role for South Africa on their first tour of India post-apartheid in 1991.

Upon leading the Proteas in their first-ever ODI series, a 41-year-old Rice had stated to BBC,  “Now I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he walked on the moon." 

Though he was dropped from the 1992 World Cup, citing his old age, he would still play for three more years before retiring.

Rice died at age 66 in 2015 after a prolonged battle with an advanced brain tumour stage. However, he will always be remembered as a captain who led by example and had an eye for talent. During Rice's stint with Nottinghamshire as a cricket manager in 1999, he had picked a certain Kevin Pietersen to play for the side, who would later go on to become a star for the England cricket team.