Ex-South Africa Skipper Clive van Ryneveld Dies Aged 89

Former South Africa skipper, Clive van Ryneveld passed away on Monday (January 30) at the age of 89., on Monday (September 29). Clive represented the African country from 1951 to 1958.

A Rhodes Scholar at the Oxford University who represented England in rugby, Van Ryneveld bowled leg-spin and was a middle-order batsman.

He made his Test debut in the Trent Bridge Test in 1951 against England, helping the visitors to win the game by 71 runs. Overall, he played 19 Tests and picked 17 wickets at 39.47 and scored 724 runs at an average of 26.81. His highest individual Test score of 83 came against England in Leeds in 1951, while he took his career-best haul of four for 67 versus New Zealand in Port Elizabeth in 1954.

He played 101 first-class games, compiling 4803 runs in addition to picking up 206 wickets. He also captained South Africa, leading his side to two wins. He also played four times for England in rugby union in 1949.

Van Ryneveld had briefly tried his hands in politics too. In 1957, he got elected as a member of South Africa’s Parliament. Two years later, van Ryneveld along with 11 other MPs formed a new political party called Progressive Party.

CSA acting chief executive Thabang Moroe paid tribute to Van Ryneveld, saying:

“On behalf of the CSA Family, I extend our deepest condolences to his family, his friends and his many cricketing colleagues. Apart from being an outstanding all-round sportsman, he did his utmost to create a level playing field for all South Africans.