Merlin the Magician |
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18/08/2022POSTED BY Malaysian Cricket Association Admin |
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Screamed the headlines on the sports page of the South China morning post on a November morning in 1971. The sportswriter was referring to Dr. Alex Delilkan. The previous day Alex had bamboozled the opposition taking 9 wickets for a mere 36 runs. This practice match, pitted the visiting Malaysian Team, captained by Alex against the President’s XI of the Hong Kong Team. Coming two days before the main interport match, it sent shivers down the spine of the colony players. However, no such heroics with the ball, were seen by Alex in the main 3-day match. The match played on the Chater Rd ground had no spin on offer, to ensure that the threat posed by Alex and Gurucharan Singh were nullified. This time it was with the bat that Alex shone scoring 85 and rescuing Malaysia from a precarious 3 wickets for 20. Earlier in that year at a Saudara Cup match against Singapore, Alex had scored a gritty 88 to leave in no doubt who was the greatest all-rounder, at that time, in Malaysia & Singapore. Any doubts the public had, that the Malaysian Captain might be partial to his former country was put to rest in this match. Batting first Singapore could make only 161 runs. After an early stutter Malaysia went on to make a massive 394. With no sign of a declaration, the crowd grew restless and the Singapore team listless. At the tea interval a journalist plucked up the courage to ask Alex when he was going to declare. Alex, in his own inimitable fashion replied “when I play and captain my country, I give no quarters, I will ensure the opposition, is ground to the dust and have no chance of winning. I am not here to entertain the crowd or you lot.” I am here to win, he added. Despite almost a day being lost to rain, Malaysia won the match by an innings and 76 runs. In his own mind, Alex was first and foremost a leg spinner with all the bells and whistles of his craft. He has taken many 5 wicket hauls in inter-state matches, inter port matches and against visiting teams. All this, at a time when Malaya/Malaysia had great leg spinners like M.C. Kailasapathy, Gurucharan Singh (Guru), and Jagdev Singh. Almost everybody who follows cricket will know of his bowling the great Sir Garfield Sobers for a golden duck. He had to endure the boos of my friends and I, watching on the boundary because we wanted to see Sobers bat. Years later, when I asked him what was going through his mind when he was going to bowl to Sobers. Alex said that as he ran up to bowl he decided that he would bowl, what he could do best; his leg break. The ball pitched on a perfect length, turned inwards enough, to sneak between bat and pad. I have purposely left out the expletives he had mentioned as he was about to bowl – “you may be the greatest in the world, but I am here to show you what I can do”, he muttered. Alex was born in Singapore. At a very early age he started playing cricket on the concrete floor that his father had put up in front of his house. Soon he played for Singapore and even captained the Singapore team while still a Medical student. With all the publicity he was getting, it was little wonder that Alex would be a target of his seniors for ragging, in the Medical college. He was forced to wear a band on his forehead with the words – “National Cricketer, Medical Student – Sure fail one” in Singlish. Two things nearly led to this becoming true. The first was when he wrote an article, for the University Newspaper, titled – ‘Singapore University – the Graveyard of Sportsmen’. He was called up and threatened with expulsion, if any more articles of that nature were forthcoming. The other was when he failed in a paper and was called up and given talking too by his lecturer. It appears the lecturer had heard that Alex was spending his time in the arts library rather than the medical library. The arts library was where he met his then Malayalee girlfriend and the two could be seen together at most times. It is to Praba that Malaysian Cricket and the Medical Fraternity in Malaysia owes a debt of gratitude. On completion of her degree, Praba returned to her hometown in Penang. The young Doctor, not to be parted from his sweetheart, followed. He was made a Medical Officer in the Penang General Hospital. Not long after, Alex was selected and played for Malaysia against Singapore, despite the protestations of the Singapore Cricket Association, as he was still a Singaporean. To avoid further conflict with Singapore, Alex was fast tracked into getting Malaysian Citizenship. Soon he was made captain of the Malaysian team. Malaysia’s gain is Singapore’s loss. I have been fortunate to witness many of Alex’s performances first hand and one that is etched my mind is the Malaysian team’s match against a visiting Commonwealth team. Mike Shepherdson and Alex had a 100 run partnership. In this innings, Alex was 80 not out, outscoring his partner Mike. Everyone witnessing the match, including the opposition gave him a standing ovation. That is all except one; his newly wed wife. She was crying. When Alex asked her why. You left me alone for so long she said. That was the first time she had been to a cricket match. This Critical Care Specialist is the man who pioneered the set up of the Intensive Care Unit in University Malaysia. The first of its kind in Malaysia. Alex is an Author of 19 books, 16 medical and 3 on Cricket. His latest Book ‘The conjoined Careers of Alex Delilkan’ is the most intriguing of all. The first cricketer to be inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia Hall of fame this sprightly 88 year young Anaesthesiologist, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Alex Delikan, is wont to say “I am still functional and in full control of all my faculties.” Indeed, he is and is still called for Medico Legal cases and lectures part time at Universities. Stay well and ‘Keep the flag flying”, Alex. Hector Durairatnam 5 th August, 2022. |
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