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Allan Anthony Donald (born 20 October 1966) is a South African former
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
er who is also the current bowling coach of
Bangladesh national cricket team The Bangladesh men's national cricket team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ক্রিকেট দল), popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the Inter ...
. Often nicknamed 'White Lightning' due to his
lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...
quick bowling, he is considered one of the South Africa national cricket team's most successful pace bowlers. He was an important, integral and crucial member of the South African team in its resurgence into international cricket since readmission and played an influential role as a frontline genuine seam bowler to boost South Africa to new heights since its readmission to international cricket. During his playing career, he instilled fear among the batsmen with his speed, hostility and aggression on the field. He is known for his duels with some of the best batsmen of his generation including the likes of
Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
,
Michael Atherton Michael Andrew Atherton (born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and a former England international first-class cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the ca ...
and
Steve Waugh Stephen Rodger Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a medium-pace bowler. As Australian captain from 1997 to 2004, he led Austral ...
. He is also best remembered for his infamous iconic runout during the 1999 World Cup semi-final match between South Africa and Australia which eventually dented South Africa's golden run in the global showpiece. He became the first South African to take 300 test wickets. Donald was one of the top fast bowlers in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998, peaking with a ranking of 895 points the next year. In
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
s (ODIs), he reached 794 points in 1998, ranked second behind teammate
Shaun Pollock Shaun Maclean Pollock OIS (born 16 July 1973) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer, who was captain in all formats of the game. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers and allrounders of all time. A genu ...
. He shared the new ball with Pollock from the 1996/1997 tour of India until his retirement in 2002. Donald is known for his bromance and friendship with Shaun Pollock especially when they used to be regular bowling partners for South Africa during their playing careers. Donald described Pollock as South Africa's
Glenn McGrath Glenn Donald McGrath (; born 9 February 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer who played international cricket for 14 years. He was a fast-medium pace bowler (cricket), bowler and is considered one of the greatest international ...
. He featured in four World Cup tournaments for South Africa in 1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003. During his playing career, he was well known for applying
zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
cream on his cheeks and nose to avoid the effects of
sunburn Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and animals include: red or reddish skin that is h ...
. During the mid 1990s, he was the fastest bowler in the globe and whenever he bowled, a puff of dust came from the pitch. He was one of the 10 South African cricketers to make their test debuts during their one-off test tour to the West Indies in 1992. He was part of South Africa's first ever ODI team as well as South Africa's first ever World Cup team. He had picked up a total of 38 wickets in across the four World Cup tournaments he played and is currently the second all-time leading wicket taker for South Africa in World Cups, after
Imran Tahir Mohammad Imran Tahir ( pa, ; born 27 March 1979) is a South African former international cricketer. A spin bowler who predominantly bowls googlies and a right-handed batsman, Tahir played for South Africa in all three forms of cricket, but ...
. His ODI bowling career strike rate of 21.78 is also the joint best strike rate alongside Pakistan's
Saqlain Mushtaq Saqlain Mushtaq BND ( ur, ; born 29 December 1956) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer who, as of February 2022, is the head coach of the Pakistani national cricket team. Regarded as one of the best spin bowlers in t ...
for bowlers with a minimum of 200 ODI wickets. Only three bowlers in test cricket have taken more number of wickets than Donald at a better average than him and they are Glenn McGrath,
Curtly Ambrose Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN (born 21 September 1963) is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he took 405 Test wickets ...
and
Malcolm Marshall Malcolm Denzil Marshall (18 April 1958 – 4 November 1999) was a Barbadian cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, Marshall is widely regarded as one of the greatest and one of the most accomplished fast bowlers of the modern era in Test cricket ...
. Since retiring Donald has been a coach with a number of teams, including international sides. From 2018 to 2019 he was the Assistant Coach at
Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...
in England. In 2019, Donald was inducted into the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fe ...
.


Early life

He used to be in a dilemma during his early life as a clueless youngster on which sport to choose among rugby and cricket. In an interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', he revealed that rugby is the number one sport in South Africa while cricket is number two with football filling in as number three. He revealed that he used to play as a flyhalf and as a fullback in his early days and later he joined the army but he quickly realized rugby is for big men and decided to quit the sport and took up cricket. He completed his primary education at the Technical High School. He rose to prominence and limelight after taking 9/16 against his uncles school Grey College in
Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...
and due to his breakthrough performance, he made it to the Orange Free State team in 1984. However, he injured his groin and couldn't take part further before reaching to the standards required to play at first-class level. He subsequently missed out the opportunity to play on the Nuffield Week and also missed out on a golden opportunity of potentially being picked for South African schools cricket side. But, he still managed to be picked as a twelfth man for South Africa Schools XI in 1984 and 1985. He had to wait one more year following the injury to make his first-class debut in 1985.


Domestic career

In November 1985, he made his first-class debut in the
Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premi ...
playing for Orange Free State against the
Transvaal cricket team Gauteng (formerly Transvaal) is the first-class cricket team of the southern parts of Gauteng province of South Africa. The team was called ''Transvaal'' from April 1890 to April 1997 (the area north of Johannesburg, including Pretoria being part o ...
at the age of just 19 and he was included for the match at the last minute as an injury replacement to Corrie van Zyl who injured his foot badly prior to the match. He was originally supposed to be the twelfth man of the side during the match but was called upon by his captain Chris Broad just ten minutes before the toss. He managed to pick up just the sole wicket of Jimmy Cook on his first-class debut at Transvaal,
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
. He became an integral member of the
Warwickshire County Cricket Club Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Warwickshire. Its T20 team is called the Birmingham Bears. Found ...
and was a mainstay of the club for several years. He prolonged his county career and nurtured his bowling skillsets at a time especially with South Africa still serving a ban from international cricket. He joined the Warwickshire club in 1987 as an overseas player. Initially, he got only a limited number of matches under his belt during his stint with Warwickshire as he shared the overseas slot with West Indian fast bowler Tony Merrick. Between 1987 and 1989, he managed to play just 18 matches in the first two seasons for the club as the club opted for giving a fair share of opportunities to both Donald and Merrick. He played an important part in helping the club to win the 1989 NatWest Bank Trophy by picking up 14 wickets in the tournament, the most by any bowler in that tournament. The club released Merrick following the end of 1989 season which paved way for Donald to become a regular fixture in the side. However, his county career was clouded with confusions yet again as Warwickshire signed Australian batsman
Tom Moody Thomas Masson Moody (born 2 October 1965) is a former Australian international cricketer and current Director of Cricket of Sri Lanka Cricket. He ended his long tenure with the Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad in August 2022 and ...
for the 1990 season. Largely, to his relief, the club persisted with Donald by handing him a long-term contract commencing from the
1991 season File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated ...
, despite the consistent performances from Moody in the county championships. He repaid the faith nearly helping Warwickshire to win the 1991 County Championship with his bowling prowess capturing 83 wickets at 19.68 as he was behind only Pakistan's
Waqar Younis Waqar Younis Maitla HI (Punjabi, ur, ; born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler, Waqar Younis is regarded as one of the great ...
in terms of the bowling averages during that championship. He was a crucial member of the side which claimed two trophies including the
1995 NatWest Trophy The 1995 NatWest Trophy was the 15th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 27 June and 2 September 1995. The tournament was won by Warwickshire County Cricket Club who defeated Northampt ...
and
1995 County Championship The 1995 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 96th officially organised running of the County Championship. Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is ...
in a single English season in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
. He also picked up a tally of 89 wickets in 1995 for the club. He was the joint highest wicket taker during the 1995 NatWest Trophy picking up 11 scalps along with
Anil Kumble Anil Kumble (; born 17 October 1970) is a former Indian cricket captain, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best ...
. Interestingly, Warwickshire had initially told Donald that the 1995 season would be his last with the club in order to recruit West Indian veteran
Brian Lara Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing rec ...
. However, Lara pulled out due to personal reasons and as a result Donald was handed a further two-year contract with the club. His long association with the Warwickshire club which dates back to 1987 was finally ended in 2000 with both Donald and the club mutually agreeing to part ways. He later joined
Worcestershire County Cricket Club Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Worcestershire. Its Vitality Blast T20 team has been rebrande ...
for the 2002 season. He made his T20 debut for
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
against
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
at the 2004
Standard Bank Pro20 Series The Betway T20 Challenge is a domestic Twenty20 Cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in the 2003–04 season. It was previously known as the Standard Bank Pro20 Series until the 2010–11 season, the MiWay T20 Challenge for the ...
.


International career

He made his ODI and international debut for South Africa against India on 10 November 1991 at
Eden Gardens The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000. Eden Gardens is often re ...
,
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
which also turned out to be South Africa's comeback return to international cricket after serving years long ban from international cricket due to
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
. It was also South Africa's very first One Day International appearance as well as South Africa's first competitive international match in 22 years and Donald was the second cap of the South African ODI side. He picked up a five-wicket haul on his ODI debut including the priced wickets of
Ravi Shastri Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri (born 27 May 1962) is the former head coach of the India national cricket team, a cricket commentator and former captain of Indian Cricket Team. As a player, he played for the India national cricket team between 19 ...
, Sachin Tendulkar,
Navjot Singh Sidhu Navjot Singh Sidhu (born 20 October 1963) is an Indian National Congress politician, television personality and retired international cricketer. He is the former President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Formerly, he was the Minister of T ...
and despite his heroics with the ball, South Africa lost the match by three wickets. His fifer also gave a glimmer of hope for Proteas as South Africa gave good fightback against a strong Indian batting line-up in its attempt to defend a meagre total of 177. His bowling spell of 5/29 in 8.4 overs stood as the best bowling performance by a South African bowler on ODI debut for 24 years and the record was later surpassed by
Kagiso Rabada Kagiso Rabada (born 25 May 1995) is a South African international cricketer who plays all formats of the game. He is a right arm fast bowler. He made his international debut in November 2014 in limited-overs cricket before going on to make his ...
who returned with the bowling figures of 6/16 against Bangladesh on his ODI debut in 2015. He became the first South African bowler to take a fifer on ODI debut as well as the first South African to take a five-wicket haul for South Africa in ODI history. He was included in South African squad for the
1992 Cricket World Cup The 1992 Cricket World Cup (officially the Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992) was the fifth staging of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was held in Australia and New Zealand from 22 February to 25 Mar ...
which also marked South Africa's maiden appearance in a World Cup tournament. On 26 February 1992, he featured in South Africa's memorable first ever World Cup match which was against Australia and starred with the ball in the first match of South Africa during the 1992 World Cup. Donald ran through the Aussie top order but he was largely unsuccessful and unlucky to create a breakthrough in his first over. He would have claimed a wicket off his first ball in the match when a peach of a delivery by Donald which shaped away from Geoff Marsh but his wicket taking opportunity was denied when the umpire Brian Aldridge did not hear anything despite what seemed to be a clear outside edge off Marsh's bat which went straight into the wicketkeeper's hands. He could have gained a unique distinction and could have been in an elite list of bowlers to have taken a wicket off his first delivery in a World Cup match had the umpire signaled it as out. However, despite the early setback, he came back strongly and picked up 3/34 in his 10 over spell which eventually reduced Australia to 170/9 in 49 overs and South Africa chased down the target by nine wickets with ease to start their 1992 World Cup campaign in some style. The victory by South Africa shocked host nation Australia as newcomers South Africa announced their arrival in World Cups. He would be part of the South African side which enjoyed a tremendous run by reaching the semi-final stage of the tournament before going down to England in the semis under the most unfortunate circumstances due to controversial rain rule. He picked up 13 wickets in 1992 World Cup (the most for South Africa during the 1992 World Cup) at an impressive average of 25.3 and at an economy rate of 4.21. He made his test debut on 18 April 1992 at the age of 26 against the West Indies in the one-off test tour to the West Indies at
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...
, a test match which also marked the historic occasion of being South Africa's first test in nearly 22 years since their readmission. The test match also marked South Africa's first ever test match against a non-white nation as it was also their first test ever against the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
. On his debut he scored a pair including a 21 ball duck in the first innings. However, he shined with the ball on his test debut picking up six wickets (2–67 and 4–77) for the match inclusive of a four-wicket haul in the second innings. He also picked up the priced wicket of
Brian Lara Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing rec ...
. However, West Indies managed to win the one-off test by 52 runs to take the series 1-0. During the
Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
test match against India which commenced on 26 December 1992, he recorded one of the best bowling performances of his career with 12 scalps for the match picking up five-wicket hauls in both the innings to help South Africa win the match convincingly by nine wickets and Donald was adjudged the player of the match. He grabbed 5/55 in the first innings to restrict India to just 212, following it up with a much improved spell of 7/84 in second innings to restrict India to just 215. It was significantly the only match won by South Africa during that four match test series at home against India in 1992 (it was also South Africa's first home test series since readmission) as India gave South Africa a run for their money throughout the series whereas three tests ended in draw without a result. It was also South Africa's first test series win after its return to international cricket. Donald was also the leading wicket taker during the series who picked up 20 wickets for the series and was adjudged the player of the series especially for his role by playing the role of a spearhead in helping South Africa to claim the 4 match test series 1-0. For his spectacular performances in 1992, he was voted as a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication '' Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in 1992. He was part of the South African test squad which made a historic tour to England in 1994 to play their first test series in English soil after a gap of 29 years and also remarkably their first series in England post-apartheid era. He immediately made a big impact on the tour as he inspired South Africa to a famous 356 run win at iconic
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...
over England in the first test of the three match test series with a crucial fifer in the first innings. He became the first South African bowler in 39 years since
Hugh Tayfield Hugh Joseph Tayfield (30 January 1929 – 24 February 1994) was a South African international cricketer. He played 37 Test matches for South Africa between 1949 and 1960 and was one of the best off spinners the game has seen. He was the faste ...
to pick up a five wicket-haul at Lord's and he sealed his spot in the
Lord's honours boards The Lord's honours boards are boards in the Pavilion at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, which commemorate cricket players who have scored a century, taken 5 wickets in a single innings, or taken 10 wickets in a match in either a Test match o ...
. During the third and final test match of the series against England in August 1994, he recorded one of the most expensive bowling spells in terms of having a higher/worse economy in an innings of a test match when he conceded 96 runs in 12 overs at an economy of 8, during the fourth innings of the match. This bowling performance from Donald would put him in fourth position in terms of recording a worse economy rate in an innings of a test match by a bowler. He featured in South African ODI and test squads for the historic home series against England in 1995 as it marked the first instance of England touring South Africa to play a test series since South Africa's readmission to cricket scene. He won the man of the series award for his brilliant display with the ball as he also picked the joint most wickets in the series from either sides along with
Dominic Cork Dominic is a name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans as a male given name. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". Variations include: Domini ...
with a tally of 19 wickets. In the second match of the series at Johannesburg, the battle between Atherton and Donald became intense especially with the way Atherton batted towards the end of the match to save England from an humiliating embarrassing defeat by scoring unbeaten 185 off 492 balls in a mammoth improbable test chase of 479. Atherton had to deal and cope up with the hostile pace attack of Donald and spent whopping 643 minutes at the crease for over two days to secure a thrilling draw. He was part of the South African squad which reached quarter-finals of the
1996 Cricket World Cup The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup 1996 after the Wills Navy Cut brand produced by tournament sponsor ITC, was the sixth Cricket World Cup organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was the second World C ...
. During a group stage match between the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
and South Africa in the 1996 World Cup, UAE skipper
Sultan Zarawani Sultan Mohammed Zarawani ( ar, سلطان محمد زاروني; born 24 January 1961) is a former Emirati cricketer. He played seven one-day internationals. After the 1996 Cricket World Cup, he was banned for life when he criticised the offici ...
faced Donald without a helmet as he only wore a sunhat on his head, which literally frustrated Donald and the gesture of Zarawani had prompted him to bowl fierce bouncers on the batsman. Sultan came to bat when UAE was reeling at 68/6 in a huge run chase of 322 and was subsequently hit on the head by a fierce bouncer delivered by Donald. Donald recorded in his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
that he feared initially that he had killed him. Despite the blow, Zarawani still continued to refuse the offer of a helmet but only lasted six more balls before he was dismissed and taken straight to
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...
. During the quarter-final he went wicketless conceding 50 runs in 8 overs as West Indies won the match by a narrow margin of 19 runs. He was the leading wicket-taker for South Africa during the 1996 World Cup with eight wickets. He played a key role in South Africa’s triumph over India in the final of the 1996–97 Standard Bank International One-Day Series where he was the pick of the bowlers in the final with 3/48. He was also the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 scalps. During the Tri-series final at
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, Donald "got involved in an incident that has since caused ima lot of grief". Donald was being hit around the park by
Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
and
Rahul Dravid Rahul Sharad Dravid (; born 11 January 1973) is an Indian cricket coach and former List of India national cricket captains, captain of the Indian national cricket team, Indian national team, currently serving as its head coach. Prior to his ...
in the final as Dravid top-scored for India with 84. He received media backlash for possibly using racial languages during his spat with Dravid. Donald said he got carried away and confronted Dravid face-to-face saying "This isn't such a fucking easy game". He was an integral member of the South African which won the four nation
Sameer Cup 1996–97 The Kenya Cricket Association Centenary Tournament (also known as the Sameer Cup) was a four team ODI cricket tournament held in Kenya during the 1996–97 season. Squads Points table Group matches 1st match 2nd match 3rd match 4th m ...
where South Africa emerged victorious in the final after defeating Pakistan by 7 wickets and he was the leading wicket taker during the tournament taking 14 wickets. He led the bowling charts in test cricket for the year 1998 as he ended up as the leading wicket taker in across all test matches for the calendar year 1998 with a tally of 80 wickets. His record tally of 80 wickets is also the fourth most by any bowler in a single calendar year in test cricket history just behind
Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australi ...
(96 scalps in 2005),
Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional c ...
(90 scalps in 2006) and
Dennis Lillee Dennis Keith Lillee, (born 18 July 1949) is Australian retired cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation".
(85 scalps in 1981). On 26 December 1998, during a test match against the West Indies, he became the then quickest South African to reach 250 test wickets (now the fourth fastest bowler in test history to reach 250 test scalps) in terms of number of test matches and he achieved it in his 50th test match. His South African record was later surpassed by his successor Dale Steyn who did it in 49 test matches. He was one of the key players to miss out the inaugural edition of the
ICC KnockOut Trophy The ICC Champions Trophy is a One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council. The 2013 tournament was intended to be the final edition of the Champions Trophy, but it was extended to 2017 due to ...
in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
as he alongside Klusener and Roger Telemachus were undergoing a mandatory forced period of rest as per the player management policies, guidelines and directive of CSA. He also subsequently missed the 50 over cricket tournament at the
1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...
. He was part of the South African squad in their tour of England in 1998 featuring in both test and ODI squads. He would make a substantial impact in the historic five match test series by picking up a tally of 33 wickets, the highest by any bowler from either teams during the series. The test series was mostly known for fierce and atrocious competition between Donald and Atherton as both showed their temperament and class throughout the series and also tend to sledge each other in the series which would often end up in heated exchanges. England would eventually come back stronger from 1-0 down to win the series 2-1 but Donald alongside Atherton were awarded the player of the series trophy. During the fourth test of the series at
Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...
South Africa batted first, scoring 374 in their first innings. England responded with 336, with Donald taking 5 wickets. In their second innings, South Africa only scored 208 leaving England a target of 247 to win the match.
Michael Atherton Michael Andrew Atherton (born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and a former England international first-class cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the ca ...
was at the crease when Donald began a spell of bowling both would later describe in their respective autobiographies as one of the most intense periods of test match cricket they ever played. At one point, he had a huge opportunity to dismiss Atherton as he appealed for a caught behind dismissal off his bowling, where the batsman had seemingly gloved the ball, but the umpire was not interested with the appeal and as a result, Atherton survived with a lifeline from the on-field umpire. He bowled bodyline spells to Atherton. This incident prompted Donald to use verbal abusive language calling Atherton, a fucking cheat. Donald bowled multiple
bouncers A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, ...
to Atherton, but he survived several close chances to remain not out at the end of the day. The next day Atherton along with
Alec Stewart Alec James Stewart (born 8 April 1963) is an English former cricketer, and former captain of the England cricket team, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as a right-handed wicket-keeper-batsman. He is the fourth-most- capped E ...
were able to score the remaining runs, with Atherton finishing on 98. Several years later, Atherton gave Donald the gloves he wore on this occasion for Donald's benefit year auction.


1999 World Cup

In the
1999 Cricket World Cup The 1999 Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Cricket World Cup '99) was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted primarily by England, with Scotland, Ireland, Wales ...
, South Africa had progressed to the semi-finals, and Donald till then had an excellent tournament, taking 12 wickets in 8 matches. In the 1999 Cricket World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Australia, Donald was the last batsman on the South African team. Australia batting first making only 213, Donald taking 4–32 and Pollock 5–36. The game swung back and forth with South Africa eventually needing to score 16 runs off the last 8 balls to win with only one wicket remaining. Klusener scored consecutive fours in the first two balls of the over (bowled by
Damien Fleming Damien William Fleming (born 24 April 1970) is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for the Australian national cricket team and domestic cricket for Victoria. He played in 20 Tests and 88 ODIs from 1994 to 2001 and ...
), levelling the scores and leaving South Africa with only 1 run to win in 4 balls with Klusener on strike. The third ball was a dot, and Donald narrowly escaped getting run out when he backed out too far and tried to get back to his crease. The fourth saw Klusener mis-hit his shot to mid-wicket fielder
Mark Waugh Mark Edward Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, after previously making his One Day International (ODI) debu ...
. Klusener went for the run, although chances of a
run-out Run-out or runout is an inaccuracy of rotating mechanical systems, specifically that the tool or shaft does not rotate exactly in line with the main axis. For example; when drilling, run-out will result in a larger hole than the drill's nomina ...
were high and two balls were still remaining. However, Donald at the other end, keeping his eyes on the ball and hoping to avoid another mix-up like in the last delivery, did not see Klusener sprinting down the pitch and did not hear the call to run, and Klusener was almost at the bowler's end by the time Donald (who had also dropped his bat) began running. By then, Waugh had thrown the ball to Fleming, who rolled it to
Adam Gilchrist Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-kee ...
who took the
bails Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries, ...
off at the other end, meaning Donald was run-out by some distance for a diamond duck as Donald was only halfway down the pitch, thus ending the match with the scores level. However, a tie meant that Australia progressed to the final since they had beaten South Africa in the group stages of the tournament. Although the match technically ended in a tie, South Africa had previously lost to Australia in the Super-Six phase, and needed to win outright to progress to the final. As commentator
Bill Lawry William Morris Lawry (born 11 February 1937) is an Australian former cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. He captained Australia in 25 Test matches, winning nine, losing eight and drawing eight, and led Australia in the inaugural O ...
put it during the final ball:
"...this will be out surely – oh it's out, it's gonna be run out...oh, that is South Africa out – Donald did not run, I cannot believe it. Australia go into the World Cup Final – ridiculous running with two balls to go. Donald did not go, Klusener came – what a disappointing end for South Africa."
In 2014, Klusener stated in an interview that Donald was not to blame for what happened. Klusener stated that he became impatient and, although he made it to the bowler's end, there was genuinely no run. After the match, he was cross at himself and regretted attempting the run. Donald finished the 1999 World Cup tournament as the second leading wicket taker for South Africa with 16 scalps just one wicket behind Klusener. His 16 wickets came at an impressive average of 20.31 and at an economy rate of 3.96.


Post 1999 World Cup

His reputation started to take a hit among public following South Africa's exit from the 1999 World Cup as public opinions on him were mostly critical of his approach regarding running between the wickets especially when he engaged in the brainfade runout which cost South Africa a golden chance to reach their first ever World Cup final. Although, he was largely successful with the ball throughout the tournament, his World Cup heroics with the ball was largely overshadowed by the runout incident which is still remembered by South Africans. He was seen as a villain by many South Africans and he received negative publicity due to media bashing him for his blunder during the crucial stage of the semi-final. He received severe opposition from ardent cricket fans upon his arrival to South Africa from England after the World Cup semi-final. On 19 November 2000 during the first test of the three match home series against New Zealand, he reached the milestone of 300 test wickets, the first South African to achieve the feat. He announced his retirement from test cricket in January 2002 soon after playing the first test match of the three match home series against Australia at Johannesburg. He broke down with emotions as South Africa endured a crushing defeat in the hands of Australia by an innings and 360 runs. However, it was later revealed that he was forced to give up test cricket due to flow of injuries which started to take a toll on his fitness levels and body. On 13 September 2002, he became the fastest South African bowler to pick 250 ODI wickets in terms of matches (148), a feat he achieved during the group stage match between South Africa and the West Indies during the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and also became the third joint-fastest bowler in the world to do so along with Waqar Younis in 148 ODI matches. He featured in his fourth and final World Cup tournament in 2003 which was also a home World Cup for himself as the tournament was jointly conducted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. By, the time he was already 37 and way past his prime. He retired from ODI cricket and from international cricket following South Africa's disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign where South Africa were knocked out from group stage for the first time. He himself too had an awful World Cup tournament personally as he managed to pick up only one wicket in three matches with a mediocre average of 133. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2004 after playing in his final home domestic season citing deterioration of physical conditions. When he retired, he was South Africa's record wicket-taker with 330 Test wickets at an average of 22.25, and claimed 272
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
wickets at an average of 21.78. Both of these records have now been overtaken by Shaun Pollock.


After retirement

Having retired from playing, Donald pursued a commentary stint with the
South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...
. (SABC) in their coverage of South Africa's home Tests, alongside former teammate
Daryll Cullinan Daryll John Cullinan (born 4 March 1967) is a former South African first-class cricketer who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals for South Africa as a specialist batsman. He was regarded as the most gifted batsman of his generation ...
. In May 2007, Donald was appointed as a temporary bowling consultant for the
England cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. En ...
. His involvement impressed many, and was praised by several players. Donald's original brief contract was extended until September 2007. Donald decided not to continue with his coaching role at the end of September 2007, citing the strain of touring and his wish to be with his family. Donald was a coach at
Warwickshire County Cricket Club Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Warwickshire. Its T20 team is called the Birmingham Bears. Found ...
, and in partnership with fellow coach
Ashley Giles Ashley Fraser Giles (born 19 March 1973) is a former English first-class cricketer, who played 54 Test matches and 62 One Day Internationals for England before being forced to retire due to a recurring hip injury. Giles played the entirety of ...
helped the county to win the Second Division of the
County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It b ...
in 2008. Donald coached the reigning Zimbabwean domestic champions, Mountaineers, in 2010. He served as the bowling coach for the New Zealand cricket team for the ODI series against Pakistan, and the
2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ...
. In May 2011, he was one of the top contenders who was willing to become the fast bowling coach of Australian cricket team but he lost the opportunity as
Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
opted to pick countryman
Craig McDermott Craig John McDermott (born 14 April 1965) is a former Australian cricketer. Between 1984 and 1996 he played 71 Tests for Australia, taking 291 wickets. Following the end of his playing career, he was the bowling coach for the Australian team fo ...
instead. As a result, according to a report in May 2011, Donald decided to rejoin New Zealand cricket coaching staff after previously serving in an interim capacity on a contractual basis and he was tipped to sign a two year deal with
New Zealand Cricket New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Council, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand. New Zealand Cricket operates the New Z ...
. However a month later as of June 2011, he later reversed his decision and stated he had ambitions in order to secure a coaching position in South African cricket. In July 2011, Donald was drafted into Gary Kirsten's coaching team as bowling coach to the South African cricket team. Kirsten left his post in May 2013, and Russell Domingo was appointed as his replacement. Donald was the bowling coach of South Africa under head coach Domingo; he was replaced by
Charl Langeveldt Charl Kenneth Langeveldt (born 17 December 1974) is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer who is currently a bowling coach with the South Africa national cricket team. As a cricket player, he played all formats of the game. A right ...
. Donald was also the bowling coach of
Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor ...
in the
Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
. In 2012, there were reports claiming that he would join the Bangladeshi coaching staff but he denied such reports insisting that he would remain with he South African cricket. He was appointed as the bowling coach of the Pune Warriors India for the
2012 Indian Premier League The 2012 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 5 or the IPL 2012 or the DLF IPL 2012 (owing to title sponsorship reasons), was the fifth season of the Indian Premier League, initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC ...
replacing Geoff Marsh. He was later promoted as the head coach of the Pune Warriors India for the
2013 Indian Premier League The 2013 season of the Indian Premier League, abbreviated as IPL 6 or Pepsi IPL 2013, was the sixth season of the IPL, established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. The tournament featured nine teams and was held fro ...
. Donald stepped down from the position of South Africa bowling coach post the
2015 Cricket World Cup The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...
. In 2016, reports emerged that he would be considered in an interim capacity as a temporary bowling coach of Australia for the test tour to Sri Lanka and home series against South Africa. Donald was appointed assistant coach at
Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...
in early 2017. He was expected to join the county at the start of the 2017 season but was denied a work permit as he did not, at the time, hold a suitable coaching qualification.Fordham J (2018
Allan Donald starts role as Kent Cricket assistant coach after being granted UK work permit
''
Kent Online KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquired KM ...
'', 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
As a result, in April 2017,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
hired Donald as bowling consultant for the
ICC Champions Trophy 2017 The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy was the eighth ICC Champions Trophy, a cricket tournament for the eight top-ranked One Day International (ODI) teams in the world. It was held in England and Wales from 1 to 18 June 2017. Pakistan won the competit ...
and Donald did not work with Kent during the 2017 season. He was successful in obtaining his Level 3 coaching qualification during 2017 and formally joined Kent in early 2018, leading the team during the
2017–18 Regional Super50 The 2017–18 Regional Super50 was the 44th edition of the Regional Super50, the domestic limited-overs cricket competition for the countries of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The tournament started on 31 January 2018 and finished on 2 ...
competition ahead of the
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
English season.Fordham J (2018
Kent Cricket head coach Matt Walker talks about being in Australia with the England T20 squad
''
Kent Online KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquired KM ...
'', 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
Gardner A (2018
Kent enjoy Caribbean success after difficult winter
ESPN, 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
He also subsequently left Kent at the end of the 2019 season. In September 2019, he was roped in as a consulting coach by the Free State Cricket Union for all Free State cricket teams for the duration of October 2019. In February 2020, he was appointed head coach of the
Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
franchise for the upcoming
2020–21 CSA T20 Challenge The 2020–21 CSA T20 Challenge was the seventeenth season of the CSA T20 Challenge, established by Cricket South Africa. The tournament was played during February 2021, with all the matches taking place at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban ...
. In March 2022, he was appointed as the pace bowling coach of
Bangladesh national cricket team The Bangladesh men's national cricket team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ক্রিকেট দল), popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the Inter ...
till
2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup The 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the eighth ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament. It was played in Australia from 16 October to 13 November 2022. Although originally scheduled to be held in 2020, in July 2020, the International Cricket Counc ...
.


Legacy

South African wicket-keeper batsman
Dane Vilas Dane James Vilas (born 10 June 1985) is a South African cricketer. He was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal. Previously, he played for South Africa's national side and made his Test debut for South Africa against Bangladesh on 30 July 2015. D ...
played the role of him in the 2008 film ''Hansie'' which was based on the life story of former Proteas captain
Hansie Cronje Wessel Johannes "Hansie" Cronje (25 September 1969 – 1 June 2002) was a South African international cricketer and captain of the South African national cricket team in the 1990s. A right-handed all-rounder, as captain Cronje led his team to vi ...
. Fellow South African seamer Nantie Hayward who used to admire Donald and consider him as his role model stated that he had probably played in the wrong era due to the presence of Donald. He conceded that his international career was cut short due to South Africa penetrating with Donald and
Makhaya Ntini Makhaya Ntini OIS (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first black player to play for the South African national cricket team. He reached second place in the ICC T ...
but recalled the Donald's epic spell to Atherton in the 1998 test as something he was glad to have witnessed it and he insisted that it was one of the best bowling spells that he has ever seen. Nantie added that there is nothing better to watch than Allan running in like that. Atherton would also be famously known as Donald's bunny as Atherton has been dismissed by Donald 11 times across 17 test matches although the 1995 test match at Johannesburg and 1998 test match at Trent Bridge are rare exceptions where Atherton would eventually survive the tight spell from Donald. The iconic moment which was created when Sultan Zarawani faced a rampant Allan Donald has also been included in the ‘'Second XI: Cricket in its Outposts'’, a book which talks about the evolution of associate cricket. The book also illustrate why he went onto face Allan Donald with a sunhat on his head instead of a helmet and Zarawani himself recalled the incident and shared his experiences on the book. He was also loyal towards his former captain Cronje whom he referred to as a person with the ability to lead the side with ease and called him as a natural leader. He has also authored his autobiography titled ''White Lightning.'' In July 2019, Donald was inducted into the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fe ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donald, Allan South Africa One Day International cricketers South Africa Test cricketers South African cricketers South African people of British descent White South African people Knights cricketers Free State cricketers Warwickshire cricketers Worcestershire cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 1996 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup South African cricket coaches South African cricket commentators 1966 births Living people Cricketers from Bloemfontein Cricketers who have taken five wickets on One Day International debut Indian Premier League coaches