Roy McLean
Encyclopedia
Roy Alastair McLean was a South Africa
n cricket
er who played in forty Tests
from 1951 to 1964. A stroke-playing middle-order batsman, he scored over 2,000 Test runs, but made 11 ducks in 73 Test innings.
McLean was born in Pietermaritzburg
, Natal, and educated at Hilton College. He shone at cricket, hockey and rugby union
, and was a strong enough rugby player to represent Natal
at fly-half.
As a cricketer, he made his first-class
debut for Natal in 1949, and his Test
debut on the 1951 tour of England at Old Trafford. He established himself as an exciting and forceful middle-order batsman in the South African team. He was particularly successful on tour, hitting an unbeaten 76 to win the final Test of the 1952-53 tour
to Australia, to square the series, despite Australia scoring 520 in their first Innings. He played against the touring Australian rugby union team
later in 1953, scoring a drop-goal as fly-half for Natal to win 15-14.
He made his highest Test score in the 2nd Test Lord's on the tour to England in 1955
. Batting against a bowling attack that included Brian Statham
, Fred Trueman
, Trevor Bailey
and Johnny Wardle
, he rode his luck, hitting 21 fours and a six but being dropped several times, and scoring 142 of 196 the runs while he was at the wicket, before he was finally bowled by Statham. Nevertheless, England won by 76 runs. In the 3rd Test, at Old Trafford, he hooked Frank Tyson
for four several times in the second innings, hitting 50 in 71 minutes before he was run out: South Africa won with 9 balls to spare. He was the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1955. He and fast bowler Neil Adcock
were the only successes of the 1960 tour of England
. He reached his highest first-class score, 207, against Worcestershire
, and recorded the fastest century that season, in 75 minutes against A E R Gilligan's XI in a festival match at Hastings, despite only scoring 6 runs in the first half an hour. Each was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1961.
Later that year, he led an unofficial tour to England by a team of young players named the Fezelas. The team contained the nucleus of the great South African side of the late 1960s, containing such players as Peter Pollock
, Eddie Barlow
, Colin Bland
and Denis Lindsay
, and was unbeaten on the tour.
He joined the tour to New Zealand in 1961-2. After a four-year gap, he played a final two Tests in South Africa 1964 against England, and retired from first-class cricket in 1966. He became an insurance salesman.
McLean died in Johannesburg
following a long illness. He was survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara, and their two daughters.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in forty Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
from 1951 to 1964. A stroke-playing middle-order batsman, he scored over 2,000 Test runs, but made 11 ducks in 73 Test innings.
McLean was born in Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
, Natal, and educated at Hilton College. He shone at cricket, hockey and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, and was a strong enough rugby player to represent Natal
Natal Sharks
The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournaments. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal rugby...
at fly-half.
As a cricketer, he made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Natal in 1949, and his Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut on the 1951 tour of England at Old Trafford. He established himself as an exciting and forceful middle-order batsman in the South African team. He was particularly successful on tour, hitting an unbeaten 76 to win the final Test of the 1952-53 tour
South African cricket team in Australia in 1952-53
The South Africa national cricket team toured Australia in the 1952-53 season and played 5 Test matches against Australia. The series was drawn 2-2, the first time a rubber between the two sides had not been won by Australia....
to Australia, to square the series, despite Australia scoring 520 in their first Innings. He played against the touring Australian rugby union team
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
later in 1953, scoring a drop-goal as fly-half for Natal to win 15-14.
He made his highest Test score in the 2nd Test Lord's on the tour to England in 1955
South African cricket team in England in 1955
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1955 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-2 with no matches drawn.-South African team:...
. Batting against a bowling attack that included Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
, Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
, Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
and Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
, he rode his luck, hitting 21 fours and a six but being dropped several times, and scoring 142 of 196 the runs while he was at the wicket, before he was finally bowled by Statham. Nevertheless, England won by 76 runs. In the 3rd Test, at Old Trafford, he hooked Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
for four several times in the second innings, hitting 50 in 71 minutes before he was run out: South Africa won with 9 balls to spare. He was the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1955. He and fast bowler Neil Adcock
Neil Adcock
Neil Amwin Treharne Adcock is a former South African cricketer who played 26 Tests. A tall aggressive fast bowler, he could lift the ball sharply off a length. He was the first South African player to take 100 Test wickets.Making his Test debut in 1953 at home against New Zealand, he had only 9...
were the only successes of the 1960 tour of England
South African cricket team in England in 1960
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1960 season to play a five-match Test series against England. The tour was marked by repeated rulings against South African fast bowler Geoff Griffin for throwing and anti-apartheid demonstrations targeting the visiting nation..England won the...
. He reached his highest first-class score, 207, against Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
, and recorded the fastest century that season, in 75 minutes against A E R Gilligan's XI in a festival match at Hastings, despite only scoring 6 runs in the first half an hour. Each was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1961.
Later that year, he led an unofficial tour to England by a team of young players named the Fezelas. The team contained the nucleus of the great South African side of the late 1960s, containing such players as Peter Pollock
Peter Pollock
Peter Maclean Pollock, has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player, selector, and father of a future captain. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966...
, Eddie Barlow
Eddie Barlow
Edgar John Barlow was a South African cricketer . Barlow played first-class cricket for Transvaal and Eastern Province from 1959-60 to 1967-68 before moving to Western Province for the seasons from 1968-69 to 1980-81...
, Colin Bland
Colin Bland
Kenneth Colin Bland, was a cricketer who played for South Africa.Bland originally came from Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe but then not a Test cricket- playing nation. He also played for the South African provincial sides Eastern Province and Orange Free State...
and Denis Lindsay
Denis Lindsay
Denis Thomson Lindsay played 19 Tests for South Africa. He later became a cricket referee. His father, Johnny, also played Test cricket for South Africa.-External links:*...
, and was unbeaten on the tour.
He joined the tour to New Zealand in 1961-2. After a four-year gap, he played a final two Tests in South Africa 1964 against England, and retired from first-class cricket in 1966. He became an insurance salesman.
McLean died in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
following a long illness. He was survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara, and their two daughters.