Shiamak Unwalla looks at 10 interesting things to know about a man who ought to have been considered a part of the ‘Big Four’ all-rounders of the 1970s-1990s. Rice passed away on July 27, 2014, five days after his 66th birthday.
Clive Edward Butler Rice, born July 23, 1949, was a South African all-rounder who sadly played only three ODIs and no Tests due to South Africa’s suspension in the apartheid era.
1. No. 5 in the ‘Big Four’
By common consensus, four of the greatest all-rounders of the game in 1980s-90s were Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee. However, there was a fifth who sadly did not have much of an international career. Clive Rice, whose career coincided with South Africa’s apartheid ban, was a force to be reckoned with in County cricket in the 1980s and 1990s, but never got to play a Test and therefore missed out on being counted among the great all-rounders of his era. But the cricketing cognoscenti always regarded Rice in the class of the four all-rounders.
2. Legend in County cricket
The beneficiaries of Rice’s lack of international exposure were Nottinghamshire and Transvaal. His exploits at Trent Bridge over the years have set his name in the lofty heights of County legends. He captained Nottinghamshire from 1979-1987. In 283 First-Class matches for Notts, he scored 17,053 runs at 44.29 with 37 tons and 85 half-centuries. This would have been superb in itself, but he also captured 476 wickets at 23.58 with 12 five-fors.
3. The Packer years
The appeal of the glittering World Series Cricket did not escape Rice, who played for the Rest of the World. While his performances did not quite match up to those he displayed for Nottinghamshire, he remained a crucial cog in the World’s set-up.
4. Honours galore
Rice was named South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year for four years: 1971, 1985, 1986, and 1988. He was also one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1981.
5. Brief Scotland stint
He turned out for Scotland in nine List A matches before making his One-Day International (ODI) debut, scoring only 127 runs at 18.14 with one fifty and taking 10 wickets at 30.60.
6. International career
Sadly for Rice, he played his first international match at the age of 42, long past his prime. He captained South Africa in three ODIs against India, but was dropped thereafter and never again considered for national duty. Thus ended the career of a man who deserved to play at least 100 Tests.
7. “Mafia betting syndicates”
Rice was of the firm opinion that both Hansie Cronje and Bob Woolmer were assassinated by “Mafia betting syndicates.” According to AFP, Rice said, “These mafia betting syndicates do not stop at anything and they do not care who gets in their way. People have been murdered because of it in the past, and it could happen again unless officials do something.”
8. Instrumental in making Pietersen leave South Africa
Rice was the man most responsible for convincing Kevin Pietersen to leave South Africa in favour of England.
9. Cancer scare
Rice had previously suffered from a tumour in his brain in the late 1990s, but he recovered. A subsequent brain tumour in 2015 caused Rice to collapse at his home. After being told the tumour was inoperable by South African doctors, he travelled to India for treatment.
10. Revolutionary treatment in India
Indian doctors were able to treat Rice through a method known as “CyberKnife” which entails “an advanced form of robotic radio surgery where no cutting takes place.
On July 28, 2015, Rice passed away after a battle with brain cancer.
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