Buster Nupen was a nightmare for batsmen on the matting wickets of the early 20th century. He knew how to generate disconcerting bounce when he wanted to and had some of the finest leg cutters and off cutters in the business. In terms of pace, he wasn’t a threat but had a nagging accuracy to exploit the matting conditions. The flip side was that he couldn’t adapt to the turf pitches that came later on and struggled to get going. Nevertheless, he did make a reputation for himself, albeit largely in the familiar home climes. As a touring bowler, Nupen mostly had a difficult time, often putting up underwhelming performances especially when the team looked up to him the most. Unlike the orthodox right arm pace bowlers, Nupen preferred to bowl from round the wicket and the angles coupled with the matting wicket conditions gave him success. The same ploy though, backfired on the turf surfaces and that brought about his downfall in later years. He remained a force in first-class cricket but his career for South Africa declined rapidly and eventually saw him end with disappointing numbers. Apart from being a cricketer, Nupen also studied law and practiced as an attorney for over four decades.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan