Published: Dec 06, 2013, 12:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 06, 2013, 12:24 PM (IST)
Dec 6, 2013
After the greatest Apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela passed away on Thursday night, the shadow of his death covered the Adelaide Oval on Friday. The Australian and English players formed a guard of honour and observed a minute’s silence before the second day’s play, as a picture of Mandela was raised on the electronic scoreboard. The players from both the teams were also wearing black bands.
Cricket paid its tribute at Dunedin too, while Cricket South Africa (CSA) offered their first reaction over Twitter. “RIP Tata Mandela. It is because of you that a represented Proteas team can express their talent across the globe,” was the official CSA post on Twitter.
The Proteas skipper, AB de Villiers also paid his tributes to ‘Madiba’ on Twitter: “Let us now, more than ever, stick together as a nation! We owe him that much. #madiba you will be missed! #tata #inspiration #leader”.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) President Alan Isaac and Chief Executive David Richardson paid tribute to Mandela through the cricketing body’s website.
Mr Isaac said, “Nelson Mandela was a towering symbol of resistance, a leader, an activist, and a man who recognized the power of sport to inspire and bring people together. As South Africa’s first black President, Mr Mandela recognised and utilised sport as a mechanism to unite the divided people of South Africa and create a shared national identity and pride. As a statesman, he was remarkable, and as a man, he was inspirational.”
ICC’s Chief Executive and South African David Richardson added, “This is extremely sad news not only for all those in my home country of South Africa, but around the world. Mr Mandela was celebrated for his unwavering dedication to human rights, equality and respect. He was and will forever remain a true hero.”
India have just started their month-long South Africa tour. It is yet to be witnessed what impact, if any, of Mandela’s death, and his state funeral, will have on the series.
