Published: Aug 14, 2015, 07:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 14, 2015, 06:32 AM (IST)
Had South African cricket not been immersed in the darkness of the Apartheid-hit 1970s and 1980s, Eddie Barlow would have been remembered as one of the greatest cricketers in history. One of the greatest all-rounders the sport has seen, Barlow was only bettered by Garry Sobers during his limited appearances in the 1960s. He also went on to be a successful coach, and helped mentor Bangladesh to graduate to a Test side from an also-ran Associate Nation. On his 75th birth anniversary, Abhishek Mukherjee interviews Cally Barlow, the woman who partnered Eddie during his highs and lows, and was a constant support to him during his relentless enthusiasm for the sport amidst challenges.
August 12, 2015 was Eddie Barlow’s 75th birth anniversary. For the uninitiated, Barlow was one of the greatest all-rounders to have emerged from South Africa — which is saying something, for no country has produced quality all-rounders as consistently as South Africa.
If we cross the borders, Barlow was one of the greatest all-rounders the sport has seen. Had there been no Garry Sobers, he would certainly have been the finest of his era. The numbers speak for themselves. ALSO READ: Eddie Barlow: One of the greatest all-rounders who was part of the lost generation of South African cricketers
From 30 Tests Barlow scored 2,516 runs at 46 with six hundreds, claimed 40 wickets at 34, and took 35 catches. He also played five ‘Tests’ for Rest of World XI against England in 1970 — matches that were originally named Tests but were later stripped of the status. If we include these Barlow’s numbers read 2,869 runs at 45 and 61 wickets at 29.
Barlow was an extremely hard-hitter (he was one of the first players to play the uppercut on a regular basis); possessed a lethal out-swinger, and more famously, a very deceptive slower delivery that hoodwinked the best; and despite his short-sightedness (it is said he could not see the tires of his own bicycle while driving it) and somewhat rotund physique, he prowled the slips, pulling off stunners.
Barlow was jovial in the dressing-room, but he was a different personality every time he took field. Ali Bacher once told news24.com: “We [Barlow’s four Test captains — Jackie McGlew, Trevor Goddard, Peter van der Merwe, and Bacher himself] would get together from time to time, at various cricket functions, and we all agreed that Eddie [Barlow] was a person who gave his captain 100%, every time.”
Barlow also coached Gloucestershire, Orange Free State, Griqualand West, and Transvaal before having a stint for Bangladesh. He played an instrumental role in Bangladesh cricket during their route to attaining Test status. Following a stroke Barlow was restricted to a wheelchair, but such was his enthusiasm for the sport that Barlow that he played a pivotal role in the development of cricket for the disabled in Wales.
Eddie is no more with us. He passed away in 2005. On his 75th birth anniversary, we talked to Cally, who was more than a pillar of support for the legend.
CricketCountry (CC): You used to be a scorer for Gloucestershire. What attracted you to scoring?
Cally Barlow (CB): I did not score for Gloucestershire, only for myself! My first husband did not like County cricket, so when I went to a game on my own I liked to score and it made me concentrate on the game.
CC: Gloucestershire is the county of legends like WG Grace, Gilbert Jessop, Wally Hammond, and Tom Graveney. What did it feel like to be at Bristol Cricket Ground, to be a part of a side of such legacy?
CB: Apart from Graveney the others were way before my time, but it was good to be involved with a club that had so many great players including WG Grace. I was on the Gloucester Regional Committee of GCCC when I first met Eddie, and am now on the Cheltenham Regional Committee of GCCC.
CC: How did you meet Eddie?
CB: I met Eddie while I was scoring at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival. He came up to me and asked what the score was! I told him and the next day I came to the game and I was late. He looked at his watch and said “What is this? The scorer arriving late?”
CC: When you met him, did you have an idea that he was a legend of the sport?
CB: Oh yes, I knew he was a great cricketer, having watched him play — but I never met him. I had also read many reports about his achievements in Australia.
CC: Eddie never got going as Gloucestershire coach, though he was excellent for three South African sides. Why do you think this happened? Were there clashes? Were Eddie’s strict disciplinarian attitude too much for Gloucestershire to handle?
CB: He believed he was hired at Gloucestershire to be a hatchet man to get rid of some of the players. Talking to some of the senior players they all liked Eddie immensely, particularly Jack Russell and Tony Wright, the captain. There were a few who did not like his approach, but were never going to amount to anything, being quite content to coast along in a County side. ‘Syd’ Lawrence was a changed man under Eddie’s tutelage and Mark Alleyne flourished.
[inline-quotes align=”left”]We were in a large departmental store once; I was choosing a suitcase. He kept on interrupting me, and in the end I told him to go away. When I had finished I could not find him and suddenly over the tannoy a voice said “Would Mrs Barlow go to reception where her little boy is waiting for her!”[/inline-quotes]
CC: In his heydays Eddie was one of the most jovial people around, and his antics often had those around him in splits. What was he like, after his playing days?
CB: Eddie was always the life and soul of the party off the cricket field, but very focused on it. He could be very funny, and one of the things I regret most is that I did not write down all the funny things he said. We were in a large departmental store once; I was choosing a suitcase. He kept on interrupting me, and in the end I told him to go away. When I had finished I could not find him and suddenly over the tannoy a voice said “Would Mrs Barlow go to reception where her little boy is waiting for her!”
CC: Along with Gordon Greenidge, Eddie was the most instrumental person behind Bangladesh attaining Test status. What was it like, Bangladesh in the 1990s, both as a team in its formative stages and as a country to live in? How difficult was it to adjust to the culture, food, people, and everything else?
CB: Eddie came after Gordon to Bangladesh so I cannot comment on Gordon’s contribution to Bangladesh cricket. It was a difficult situation for both Eddie and Bangladesh Board at first. No one knew what the parameters were. Eddie knew exactly how to make Bangladesh into a Test playing nation but the lack of facilities, equipment, chain of command and no proper cohesion as to who should be doing what, when and where hampered his efforts considerably. Administrators of all countries tend to forget that the players are their only asset and need to be supported at all times. However, I believe he made his mark on most of the players he had at the time and from the comments I get from them to this day would bear that out.
Eddie and I had led very cosmopolitan lives before we came to Bangladesh, so the change of climate, diet and faces, was not new to us and we fitted in, I believe, very well. We both felt at home in Bangladesh and came to love the Bangladeshi people. BKSP [Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan] held a special place in Eddie’s heart and I was amazed to see how it had developed when I came back to Bangladesh after Eddie died.
CC: How did Eddie go about transforming Bangladesh into a Test side from its nascent stage as a cricket team?
CB: Eddie had a five-year plan for Bangladesh cricket and gaining Test status was crucial. He also wanted development of the old gymkhanas for indoor nets, as net practice was always limited outside because of the relentless monsoon. He also recommended making wickets to mirror the ones in England, South Africa and Australia. Kerry Packer made drop-in wickets in the 1970s, and Eddie knew it could be done in Bangladesh; it would have given players the much-needed practice on quick wickets.
CC: Then came that stroke that restricted Eddie to a wheelchair. The board backed out, and the insurance company found its ways to not pay. Those must have been difficult times…
CB: While the stroke physically disabled Eddie, his cricket brain was still sharp as a needle as was proved when we came to North Wales. However, some elements in the Board felt that they needed a more active coach, and Eddie was asked to leave. He was paid out of his contract by Bangladesh and we came back to South Africa where his insurance company refused to pay for the medical bills. It was a big blow to him.
His great friend Peter Cooke assured him that he would be given a job in South Africa but that did not happen. So he turned to his friend Tony Lewis in Wales, who welcomed him with open arms saying they needed his expertise. How lovely to see he was still wanted somewhere, if not in his own country! He could walk but it was quicker to get him in the wheelchair to go places.
CC: South African board backed out when it came to Graeme Pollock’s treatment as well.
CB: The only comment I will make about Pollock is that he was, in the opinion of many, the finest cricketer South Africa ever produced. We have in UK a PCA [Professional Cricketers’ Association] that looks after players who have fallen on hard times. They were wonderful to Eddie and paid for him to have the electric scooter enabling him to get from the batsmen to the bowlers in the nets and round the ground during the matches.
I believe it was Eddie, Mike Procter and Cooke who started a PCA in South Africa but I have no idea if it is still going there. Some cricketers who played before the ending of apartheid, I have been told, are struggling but you would need confirmation on that.
CC: You played a stellar role in Eddie’s recovery, helping him move from wheelchair to electric scooter…
CB: Eddie was my husband and I adored him. Of course I was going to do my level best to get him back on his feet. He never lost his sense of humour — which was a great bonus — and was always so grateful for everything I did for him.
CC: Despite that he never lost his appetite for the sport, and played a pivotal role in Welsh cricket for the disabled. How did he muster the passion to go on?
CB: Eddie was always a doer. He always felt he could put his pads on and go out and bat or bowl. He was honoured to be asked to be involved with Welsh disabled cricket and I was sorry it was for such a short time.
CC: Do you still feel a connection to Bangladesh cricket, after all these years?
CB: I will always carry a part of Bangladesh in my heart. I support Bangladesh cricket through thick and thin, and am delighted to say it has been thick for a while now! Those boys of ours in 1999 felt like part of our family and I still keep in contact with them. Eddie will be smiling down on them and the new generation of players.
CC: Had South Africa not been banned at his prime, Eddie Barlow would have been remembered as one of the greatest all-rounders in history. Did he have any regrets regarding that?
CB: Eddie’s only regret was that some people of his country were barred from playing international cricket. He enjoyed his time in the game very much but was involved with the anti-apartheid movement for a long time before most cricketers were truly aware of what was going on; he did what he could to remedy the wrongs in cricket. He is remembered as a great all-rounder by all those fortunate enough to have seen him play.
CC: How would Eddie have wanted to be remembered as?
CB: I would like Eddie to be remembered as a good friend, an honest man and a great mentor. My cricket friends and I always talk about Eddie, remembering how he played and the funny things he did and said, so perhaps he would just like to be remembered!
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
