da aviator aposta： Langeveldt: ‘I’m in a lot of pain but I try not to think about it’ © Getty Images You can see tomorrow’s headlines already – “Former screw turns the screw”
Andrew Miller04-Jan-2005
Langeveldt: ‘I’m in a lot of pain but I try not to think about it’© Getty Images
You can see tomorrow’s headlines already – “Former screw turns the screw”.Charl Langeveldt, a former prison officer from Boland, defied the pain ofa broken hand to grab five wickets on debut as England crashed to 163 allout in a calamitous morning session.”I’m in a lot of pain,” admitted Langeveldt, who is receiving twoanaesthetic injections a day, one at 3am in the morning, another at 6pmafter play has finished. “But I try not to think about it. My adrenalinwas pumping and I was confident of bowling in the right areas. When theblood’s warm, it’s warm!”But the pun will only run so far because Langeveldt, understandably, doesnot much fancy having any screws inserted into his hand in the event offurther injury, and has more or less ruled himself out of the remainder ofthe series. “Ideally I would have liked to play,” he said, “but I’mthinking long-term, and it would be stupid to risk getting hit and beingout for probably six months. I’m seeing a specialist tomorrow, and I’llmake a decision from there.”Langeveldt, who switched to full-time cricket four years ago, has playedsix one-day internationals, but had to wait a long time for his Testdebut. “You get labelled in South Africa as a one-day bowler,” heexplained, “and with the likes of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and MakhayaNtini, it is difficult to get into the Test squad. But it’s awesome totake five wickets on my debut. Any cricketer would want that, and it’shappy days today.”Langeveldt burst into contention for this series with his seven-wickethaul at Potchefstroom, where South Africa A shocked England in theiropening tour match. It was no coincidence, for he is well acquainted withall things English. His wife is from the Isle of Wight (they met on a tourto Barbados), while he has played several seasons in the LancashireLeague, most recently for Morecambe.”I just try to bowl as full as possible, and swing it,” he explained. “Itdid more late in the innings, and there was hardly any wind as well whichhelped. It was the same in Potch, because [the English] like to get bat onball, and with the extra bounce the ball carried to the slips and keeper.”A simple philosophy, but it has left England deep in the porridge.