BIOGRAPHY
Portrait of an icon
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`Hartman has done well to flesh out the character — flaws and all — of the protagonist... '
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SHOULD cricket and politics be mixed? Is it right to use sport as a bargaining chip — or worse, an instrument of blackmail — to bring about social transformation?
It has become increasingly fashionable to take an extreme stance on the issue, one way or the other; and there is the pretentious inclination to take the moral high ground to justify either opinion. But in truth, there is no easy, objective answer to such contentious questions.
And, today, as debate rages over whether Zimbabwe ought to be banned from international cricket to protest against the policies of its dictatorial regime, it is crucial that both sides weigh their perspectives in the context of an important precedent: South Africa.
That nation, as we all know, was isolated and shunned by the international community on account of its government's policy of racial segregation; and in particular, the Basil D'Oliviera affair led to the boycott of the South African cricket team for two decades.
Among those hit by the sanctions was one Aron "Ali" Bacher, known today as one of the game's greatest administrators.
Bacher, the then South African cricket captain, had just led his side to a historic 4-0 triumph against Australia at home when his international career ended abruptly. Over the next two decades, Bacher, a qualified medical doctor, lobbied hard to end South Africa's isolation in sport.
Ali: The Life of Ali Bacher is a well-structured narrative that records the rise of one of South Africa's most recognisable icons, whom the legendary West Indian cricketer, Wes Hall, describes as "a social architect of the Nelson Mandela vision".
Bacher was perceived by many as a villain for playing a major part in organising the rebel tours to South Africa; and the book brilliantly captures his subsequent makeover into a respected figure through the transition period of the early 1990s.
In the first section, the author, Rodney Hartman touches upon the early life and career of Bacher, the cricketer. He devotes considerable time discussing the promising start Bacher made at school-cricket level. But Hartman's repeated references to the comparisons drawn by local sports journalists between the adolescent Bacher and Don Bradman appear jarring. Nevertheless, there is no denying that throughout his career Bacher was acknowledged as a gutsy batsman — if a little inelegant.
Several interesting anecdotes sprinkled through the narration add colour: like the time Bacher pretended to have only one lung so that he could avoid the strenuous rugby practice workouts.
The book then traces Ali's path as he assumes the role of a full-time cricket administrator in Transvaal, and brings to the job some much-needed professionalism.
Hartman, a former journalist, also offers the reader a behind-the-scenes peek into the various intrigues that occurred in the tumultuous two-decade period of the country's history. The biography is constructed, fragment by fragment, against the milieu of the social upheaval that ultimately succeeded in bringing about political change. In the book, firebrand, coloured politicians waging an armed struggle against the oppressive regime figure prominently alongside cricket administration officials, trying their best to prevent the game from dying out in the country.
The rebel tours that brought men like Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting to South Africa earned for Bacher a great deal of notoriety, and his critics accused him of undermining the struggle to unseat the government.
Hartman defends Bacher by making the case that Bacher was completely against the government's racist policy, and cites an incident where Bacher purportedly told the then Prime Minister of South Africa, B.J. Vorster, "I do not believe in the policies of the National Party."
The book suggests Bacher's argument was, it was crucial to look beyond the local context, and infuse a new enthusiasm in the public by introducing an international element. Hartman points out that Bacher worked tremendously to take the game to the coloured section of the population.
The last section of the book should greatly interest the general public: it deals with the match-fixing crisis and Bacher's role in the crisis.
The writing is taut; but it reads like a boring history textbook in places. This is not to take away from the fact that the material presented in the book has been well researched. Hartman has also done well to flesh out the character — flaws and all — of the protagonist despite the scope of the book's vision.
Ali offers an objective summing-up of the life of one of South Africa's greatest icons, and therein lies its credibility.
Ali: The Life of Ali Bacher, Rodney Hartman, Viking/Penguin, 2004, p.450, price not stated.
VIJAY PARTHASARATHY
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