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CAPE TOWN. — Shaun Pollock has had a career that most cricketers could only dream of.

Not only is “Polly” the gold medal-winning captain from the 1998 Commonwealth Games side, but he was also part of the only South African team to ever win an ICC trophy – the ICC Knock-Out (now known as the Champions Trophy) in 1998.

Nine years after his retirement, Pollock still holds the record as the highest South African wicket-taker in Test cricket at 421 scalps, which, however, could soon be surpassed by fellow fast bowler Dale Steyn.

Despite those accolades, one of Pollock’s defining moments came in 2000 when South African cricket was tarnished after the late Hansie Cronje was found guilty of match-fixing.

When the nation and the sport needed a beacon of light to help repair South Africa’s image after ‘Hansiegate’, Pollock shouldered much of the responsibility. “I had a job to do and it was in unfortunate circumstances. In that time you should feel proud about being selected as captain for South Africa, but it was under the sombre environment,” Pollock told Sport24 in an exclusive interview.

“We still had the same team, the same players and we still had the same work ethic. Maybe our reputation had been tarnished a bit but all we could do was keep performing and go back to what we did best.

“Often in times of trauma that’s the best option, to go back to the basics and try and perform as best as you can. That’s what we did and we achieved some good results.” — Sport24.