It was, almost everyone agreed, a deft and handsome bit of cricket. Twenty years ago this week, on the fifth day of a dead Test spoiled by three days of rain, Hansie Cronje made an irresistible offer to England’s Nasser Hussain. South Africa, he said, would declare on 248 a half hour before lunch, both teams would forfeit an innings, and England would have the rest of the day to try and win the game. They did, by two wickets.
“I hope Hansie gets the credit he deserves,” Hussain said later. He did. It was “a refreshing, populist gesture” in one paper, “a triumph for all too rare positive thinking” in another, “brave, positive, and brilliant” in a third.
Written by Andy Bull
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jan/13/cricket-still-in-the-dark-20-years-after-hansie-cronjes-declaration under the title “Cricket still in the dark 20 years after Hansie Cronje’s declaration | Andy Bull”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
