OTD | Shaun Pollock was born in 1973

Shaun Pollock is one of the finest fast bowlers to have played for South Africa. He was also the captain of the South African team from 2000 to 2003. Pollock took up the leadership during a tough phase in Proteas cricket after the match-fixing scandal involving Hansie Cronje. The former led South Africa in both Tests as well as ODIs.

Pollock attended Northwood School in Durban. He graduated from the University of Natal with a bachelor’s degree in commerce. In his first appearance for Warwickshire, he took four wickets in as many balls in a B&H Cup game versus Leicestershire at Birmingham in 1996. 

Pollock made his international debut against England on November 16. 1995, versus England. He went on to play 108 Test matches, scoring 3781 runs and picking up 421 wickets. He was a very handy batter, averaging 32.31 in red-ball cricket in the international arena. Meanwhile, in ODIs, he picked up 393 wickets and scored 3519 runs. He had a bowling average of 24.50 in ODIs and a batting average of 26.45.

Pollock had the ability to swing the new ball both ways. He was also highly accurate and made life difficult for batters who liked to get on with the scoring. With the bat, Pollock was a gritty customer, putting a heavy price on his wicket and contributing important runs down the order.

On January 11, 2008, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after his 303rd ODI appearance on February 3. Pollock played in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians. He also holds the record for becoming the first Test skipper to remain not out on 99 in a Test innings.

After stepping away from the game, Pollock has joined the commentary team. He is known for his brilliant tactical analysis and neutral perspectives while on commentary.

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