Roy McLean

Infobox Historic Cricketer


nationality = South African
country = South Africa
country abbrev = RSA
name = Roy McLean
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = -
tests = 40
test runs = 2120
test bat avg = 30.28
test 100s/50s = 5/10
test top score = 142
test balls = 4
test wickets = -
test bowl avg = -
test 5s = -
test 10s = -
test best bowling = -
test catches/stumpings = 23/-
FCs = 200
FC runs = 10969
FC bat avg = 36.68
FC 100s/50s = 22/65
FC top score = 207
FC balls = 184
FC wickets = 2
FC bowl avg = 61.00
FC 5s = 0
FC 10s = 0
FC best bowling = 2/22
FC catches/stumpings = 132/-
debut date = 5 July
debut year = 1951
last date = 23 December
last year = 1964
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/46212.html Cricinfo

Roy Alastair McLean (9 July 1930 – 26 August 2007) was a South African cricketer 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. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2531673.ece Obituary, "The Times", 25 September 2007] ]

McLean was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, and educated at Hilton College. He shone at cricket, hockey and rugby union, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/28/db2802.xml Obituary, "The Daily Telegraph", 28 August 2007] ] 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.cricinfo|ref=ci/content/player/46212.html] 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. [ [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62795.html Scorecard] , England v South Africa, 2nd Test at Lord's, 1955.] 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. [ [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62796.html Scorecard] , England v South Africa, 3rd Test at Old Trafford, 1955.] 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. [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=18&art_id=vn20070827065736805C940282 Sporting legend Roy McLean dies] ] [http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/308547.html Roy McLean dies aged 77, Cricinfo, 27 August 2007] ] He was survived by his wife of 51 years, Barbara, and their two daughters.

Bibliography of works

* "Sackcloth Without Ashes" (1958), Hodder & Stoughton.

References