Norman Gordon, the world's oldest living cricketer at 99 years and just about two weeks away from his 100th birthday on August 6, has finally put to rest the raging debate about South African players moving over to England to play cricket
Norman Gordon, the world's oldest living cricketer at 99 years and just about two weeks away from his 100th birthday on August 6, has finally put to rest the raging debate about South African players moving over to England to playu00a0cricket. 
World's oldest living cricketer Norman Gordon at the Houghton
Golf Club in Johannesburg on Saturday. Pic/Ashwin Ferro
"Players like Kevin (Pietersen) and (Jonathan) Trott are world-class and if they have moved away from SA, it's due to some reason. In KP's case, he has been treated very badly here and that's why he left, while other players leave for better opportunities," Gordon told SUNDAY MiD DAY at the Houghton Golf Club, a few kilometers away from his Hillbrow residence, where he lives with his 67-year-old bachelor son Brian.
Besides the Pietermaritzburg-born Pieterson and Trott, England's Test skipper Andrew Strauss and wicketkeeper Matt Prior too are South African-born and currently doing duty for England in the opening Test against India at Lord's. Coincidentally, it is these very players, who have done the bulk of the scoring for the hosts across the first two days of the ongoing Test. Save Strauss' 22, the other three have batted India out of the game with their scorings of 202 n.o. (Pietersen), 71 (Prior) and 70 (Trott).
Though Gordon said it's a loss to let go players of this calibre for foreign shores, he believed there's no harm in it however. "I look at it in a very open way. I think it's all part of a professional sportsman's life and cricket is after all a game," added Gordon, who had a special praise for KP and Trott. "I met Kevin a couple of years ago in Cape Town. He didn't say a word about being treated badly here in SA. That shows he's a great guy. I think he and Trott are wonderful batsmen, and I enjoyed watching them bat (on television) against India yesterday," he added.
Speaking on the series, Gordon said: "Though the first Test should end in a draw, the series will have a result and that should be in India's favour. India have impressed me as a team and I believe just like the West Indies dominated the early years, this is India's period to rule the game," he said.
Finally, about his all-time favourite cricketers, Gordon said: "For me, Don Bradman is the greatest batsman ever and then I'd like to keep the great Wally Hammond and Sachin Tendulkar in the joint No 2 spot. As for the bowlers, there's no doubt that Richard Hadlee is the greatest."
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