Colin Bland : The original ‘Greatest Fielder’. Brilliant and lightning

Colin Bland : A fielding exhibition

South Africa was touring England in 1965. They are playing Kent at Canterbury. The always-round-the-corner English rain comes around and stops play. The umbrellas are out, and as it was in those laid-back days, the crowd patiently waits for play to resume. But patience is wearing thin, and soon there will be restlessness.

Colin Cowdrey, the Kent captain, in his own gracious ways, attempts to coax the South African Colin Bland to put up a fielding exhibition to keep the crowd engaged. Bland had earlier in the test series created a flutter by his memorable runouts (more about it later). Somehow Cowdrey manages to convince Bland, and with the BBC cameras following it all, Bland becomes part of the footage for a lifetime.

Tall, lissome, graceful and as relaxed as ever, Bland paces around slowly as balls are driven along the ground at him at different speeds and angles. In an exhibition that can be classified into the rub-your-eyes class, he ambles around, picks the onrushing cherry, and with a swift uncorking of wrists, uproots the stumps. Unbelievably, he hits the wickets from about 30 yards away 12 times out of the 15. Later, the master fielder, in a matter-of-fact manner, says

“They spoiled me by giving me three stumps to aim at. I always practice with one.”

That was Colin Bland for you, quite easily the greatest fielder according to many, despite the heroics of Jonty Rhodes and many others who followed. He was involved in some of the most stunning fielding displays earlier in the series; those stories will follow, but for now enjoy that rain-soaked afternoon masterclass to begin with.

If you are done with watching that, let us not stop…..

Colin Bland and “The Tale of Two Run-Outs”

The setting is the mecca of cricket, Lords. It is the opening test of the series, and South Africa had scored 280 in the first innings. England, with a line-up boasting greats like Geoff Boycott, John Edrich, and Ken Barrington, looked comfortable at 240 for 4. The classy and resolute Barrington was looking at ease, and it wasn’t looking good for the tourists. Barrington was in his 90s with the captain, Mike Smith, for company as England coasted along.

On that lazy third afternoon, it happened. A legend was born. Barrington pushed a ball on the middle and leg towards a vacant square leg and trotted up the wicket for a regulation single. He hadn’t accounted for Colin Bland, all of 6 feet and an inch, prowling at mid on. Bland ran in at an angle towards the square-leg umpire, twisted his frame, and picked up the ball. On the run, twisting his torso and floating in the air while doing so, he unleashed a bullet of throw. Barrington, oblivious to the blur that transpired on the legside, was caught short by a cricketing mile as the uprooted, non-striker stumps went flying. Bland meanwhile stands nonchalantly, hands on hips , like it was yet another of this practice throws.

It was not over, the story of Bland , there was more to come.

As England resumed after a rest day and at 294 for 6 looked set for a considerable lead, lightning struck the same spot again. It was the turn of England’s wicketkeeper batsman, Jim Parks, to be hit by what had hit Barrington. Almost eerily, the same scene unfolded. A push to square leg, Bland, again that blur on run, swooping in and breaking the stumps at the non-striker end, this time a shade better though. The ball hitting the stumps, going through the legs of a retreating Parks. A legend was born there, right there as the wickets went for a walk.

The momentum of the innings was broken, the lead curtailed, and South Africa went on to draw the test.

Here is that amazing afternoon at Lords for a watch, enjoy the blur…….

Bland was always known to be a good fielder, but on that eventful day he was elevated to an exalted status. A batsman with a good record, he went on to play a big role in the series. South Africa won the second test, aided by a brisk century from Graeme Pollock. Bland the batsman, then put up a dour display in the second inning of the final test. A 276-ball 127 meant South Africa had enough on the board to force a draw. South Africa had won the series, and Bland the fielder was probably the hero.

Cricket now had a player who people came to watch field.

Brian Johnston recalled the 1965 tour, said

“For the first time I heard people saying that they must go to a match, especially to watch a fielder.”

It was Bland’s consistent practice that gave him the edge. His fitness was a perfect foil for his heroics. In his own words,

When the chips are down, it is fitness that sorts the sheep from the goats.”

From a boy who threw stones at telegraph poles to spend time for the want of toys in the war, Bland ended up being possibly the greatest fielder of all. As Barrington would put it,

I knew Colin was great, said Barrington, “but he’s greater than I thought!”

Colin Bland passed away in 2018 at the age of 80. A legend in his own right, then, now and forever.

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