The Garden of Eden

From the moment I tuned in on that chilly morning way back in 1991 to grainy pictures from Eden Gardens, I knew one day I had to witness that stadium live.

Robin Jackman and Trevor Quirk were narrating the action on that historical re-admittance tour some 14 years ago in front of a full house as Allan Donald sniped 5 for very few.

The fourth one-dayer of this current tour was a remarkable event.

Eden Gardens was bursting at the seams with 100,000 knowledgeable spectators in an expectant mood.

They certainly did not expect Smith’s supremacy.

The importance of the venue and the significance of the occasion did not escape Graeme. From the moment he arrived in Kolkata he kept referring publicly to the scene of the rebirth of cricket South Africa.

You could sense something special was on the cards.

As we arrived at the concrete jungle some two hours before play, the queue was stretching back about two kilometers. The patience of those waiting in the hot sun was admirable. They had obviously all done it before.

Of the 100,000 bodies crammed into the stadium, 75% were from tickets allocated to the 120 cricket clubs in Kolkata.

Kolkata has a population similar to Australia at just under 20 million!

As things unfolded and South Africa strangled the home team, the silence from the masses was deafening.

By the end of the game such was the domination of South Africa’s captain and his sublime performance that most of the cricket lovers were cheering his every boundary.

We all witnessed an astonishing emotional swing from the spectators.

I feel that this was Graeme Smith’s greatest triumph to date and I was privileged to experience it first hand.

It was a special day at a special Garden.