Athanasios John Traicos (born 17 May 1947) is a 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 striki ...

er who represented

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

at international level. He was primarily an

off spin Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...

bowler, and is one of a small number of cricketers to have played at the highest level for more than one country.

Personal life

Traicos was born in Zagazig, Egypt in 1947 where his father Tryphon worked in the family business. He is of Greek descent, his father having been born in

Lemnos Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμνος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The p ...

, Greece and his maternal grandmother in

Kalymnos Kalymnos ( el, Κάλυμνος) is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of ) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than ): ...

. In September 1948 the family moved to what was then Fort Victoria in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

. As a child he was known as "Naso", a contraction of his name "Athanasios", but when he started university he adopted the name "John". In 1997, Traicos and his family moved to Australia as a result of political instability in Zimbabwe and settled in Perth. His wife, Annette Kileff, is a well established artist whose clients have included the late Richard Attenborough and Hollywood actor Denzel Washington. https://www.annettekileff.com/ His elder daughter Chloe is an actress, and screenwriter and his younger daughter Catherine is a singer-songwriter.

Domestic career

Traicos grew up in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

and played for that country, which at the time was regarded as a "province" within the South African domestic cricket setup. While a student at the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

he benefited from being coached by

Trevor Goddard Trevor Joseph Goddard (14 October 1962 – 7 June 2003) was an English actor. He was best known for playing Kano in the martial arts film ''Mortal Kombat'', Lieutenant Commander Mic Brumby in the television series '' JAG'' and main villain ...

making his first-class debut on 24 June 1967 when he represented South African Universities against

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, taking 5–54 in the first innings. He represented the South African Universities team on two more occasions before making his Rhodesia debut on 27 January 1968.

South African cricket

He made his

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

debut for

against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 ...

in February 1970 while still a student, having been selected at the request of the South African captain

Ali Bacher Aron "Ali" Bacher (born 24 May 1942) is a former South African Test cricket captain and an administrator of the United Cricket Board of South Africa. Personal life Bacher was born in May 1942 in Roodepoort to Lithuanian- Jewish parents who emi ...

. He took four catches and three wickets in his debut Test. However, after his three appearances in this series, South Africa were banned from international cricket because of

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 ...

Zimbabwean cricket

Traicos continued to play for Rhodesia, and after the country was renamed in 1980 represented

in the 1982, 1986 and 1990 ICC Trophy tournaments. He also played for Zimbabwe in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, and was an important part of the side which inflicted a shock defeat on

. He captained the side for Zimbabwe's six matches at the 1987 World Cup, and also played at the 1992 World Cup. Zimbabwe were raised to Test status in 1992, and Traicos was selected for the country's inaugural Test match, at

Harare Sports Club Harare Sports Club is a sports club and the Harare Sports Club Ground is a cricket stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe. Founded in 1900 and known as Salisbury Sports Club until 1982, it is mostly used for cricket matches, and has served as the primary c ...

against

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This appearance came a record 22 years and 222 days after his previous Test appearance, and he repaid the selectors' decision with his best Test bowling figures of 5/86. He played three more Tests for Zimbabwe, and his final appearance came at the age of 45 years and 304 days, making him the oldest Test player since

Miran Bux Malik Miran Bakhsh (20 April 1907 – 8 February 1991) was a Pakistani international cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1955. Known throughout his playing career as Miran Bux, he was aged 47 years and 284 days when he played his first Te ...

38 years earlier, and the twelfth oldest of all time. He would have been even further up the list had he been available for selection for the following year's tour of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, but Traicos' business commitments prevented this.

References

External links