Peter Maclean Pollock (born 30 June 1941) is a retired South African cricketer. He has played a continuing role in South Africa as both a player and selector. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966. He was primarily a fast bowler, but was also a useful late-order batsman.
Career[]
On his debut, he took six wickets in the second innings against New Zealand in Durban in 1961. He was South Africa's leading bowler in the 1960s, playing every Test between 1962 and 1970.
Perhaps the highlight of his career came alongside that of his brother when they were both playing against England in a Test match at Trent Bridge in 1965. Peter took ten wickets in the match with innings figures of 5 for 53 and 5 for 34, while his brother Graeme, batting, made 125 and 59. South Africa won the match, and with it the three-Test series.
Post-retirement[]
Pollock was convener of selectors for South Africa in the 1990s, immediately following their re-admittance into world cricket after the end of apartheid. He is often credited with establishing the work ethic and style of play (based on tight fast bowling) that led to the team rapidly rising to become one of the top two teams in the game. Later, he led calls for the famous fast bowler Allan Donald to retire from the game when he became very injury-prone due to his age.