• Remembering Kepler’s Kandy ton

    Wednesday, 22 April 2020 marks exactly 37 years since former Proteas captain Kepler Wessels hit the second of four Test centuries for Australia.

    Wessels played two dozen Tests for Australia between 1982 and 1985 before adding 16 more for South Africa from 1992 to 1994. He struck six centuries throughout – four for the Aussies and two for the Proteas.

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    The second for Australia came on 22 April 1983 – a superb 141 against Sri Lanka in Kandy. The innings was uncharacteristically brisk for the steely left-hander, who faced 188 deliveries and struck 20 boundaries during four hours at the crease. It was his only Test ton on the sub-continent and yielded him the player of the match accolade in a hefty innings and 38-run victory for the visitors.

    Wessels had notched a pioneering 162 on Test debut for the Australians against England in Brisbane a year prior. He added 179 against Pakistan in Adelaide and 173 versus the West Indies in Sydney in 1983 and 1984, respectively.

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    Eight years later, after South Africa’s political isolation from international cricket had ended, Wessels collected 118 against India in Durban and later 105 versus England at Lord’s.

    Photo: Getty Images

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    SA CRICKET