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The man of the Second Test match in Centurion surely should have been Mahela Jayawardena for remonstrating publicly against the patronising attitude of an Afrikaner on the cricket field, the ultimate symbol of white South Africa.

Jayawardena unintentionally flicked a ball behind the stumps towards the boundary and while running between the wickets, bowler Pollock patted him on the head and made a seemingly gratuitous comment. Both these gestures made the Sri Lankan bristle with annoyance and point a finger at the surprised Springbok skipper who, I doubt, had ever experienced such a comeback from a non-white.

Bwana Pollock's conduct was the stance of a white man of the Veldt towards Sambo, the hired farm hands curly-haired little boy, who has done something naughty but harmless. These gestures and attitude may be tolerated in the cricket field by the token niger in the team of a Kaffer conceived under the bush of Kikuyu grass in a white-owned farm but not a Sri Lankan of good pedigree.

The only commentator who had something to say in favour of Bwana Pollock was the other Great White Hunter, Symcox. And it is rather strange and sad that our own correspondents covering the series have no comment on this incident as well as other negative aspects of the South African team. If they do, the probability of them being murdered in their sleep must haunt them.

Nalin Fernando, Wariyapola

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