Graeme Pollock: South Africa’s Left-Handed Great
Profile of Graeme Pollock, the left-handed South African batter whose 23 Tests produced an average above 60 before isolation ended his international career.
Early life and rise
Graeme Pollock was born in Durban in 1944 and grew up in a cricketing family in the Eastern Cape. His older brother Peter became a Test fast bowler, and his nephew Shaun later became a Test all-rounder for South Africa. Graeme was a prodigy, playing first-class cricket in his teens for Eastern Province.
He made his Test debut in the 1963–64 series in Australia at the age of 19, and his early performances confirmed that he belonged at the highest level almost immediately.
Playing style
Pollock was a tall left-hander who combined power with a relaxed, languid style. He drove through the off side with great authority, played the pull and the cut freely, and stood very upright at the crease. Those who saw him often described him as a batter who made the game look simple.
Career highlights
In 23 Tests between 1963 and 1970, Pollock scored 2,256 runs at an average of 60.97, including seven centuries. That average is among the highest in Test history for batters with a comparable number of innings. His highest score was 274 against Australia at Durban in 1970, a major innings in South Africa’s 4–0 series win.
He also scored a memorable century on the 1963–64 tour of Australia, early in his Test career. Away from Tests, he was a stalwart of South African domestic cricket for Eastern Province and Transvaal, and he took part in Rest of the World matches in the early 1970s against England. He was later inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Legacy
As with other South African players of his generation, Pollock’s Test career ended when South Africa was excluded from international cricket because of apartheid-era isolation. His record is therefore short, but it is among the finest in history, and many cricket writers regard him as one of the great left-handed batters of all time.
Frequently asked questions
How many Test runs did Graeme Pollock score?
He scored 2,256 runs in 23 Tests, at an average of 60.97, as of the end of 2024.
What was his highest Test score?
His highest Test score was 274, made against Australia at Durban in 1970.
Who else in his family played Test cricket?
His brother Peter Pollock played Tests for South Africa, and his nephew Shaun Pollock later did the same.