A crafty fast medium bowler blessed with the ability to move the ball in the air and off the pitch, Robin Jackman was a Colossus in the County circuit with over 1400 First-class wickets at a phenomenal average and impressive strike rate. Not extremely tall in frame, Jackman was a skiddy customer which further compounded the issues for batsmen facing him. At the international level, Jackman played for a very brief period in both Tests and ODIs, with moderate results. His style of bowling seemed more suited for the 50-over format and not surprisingly, he played very few Test matches. As a batsman, Jackman was extremely competent and could find his way out of trouble against the best of pacers.

Born in Shimla, Jackman had a great affinity with India despite growing up in his home land England. He also had a good association with South Africa throughout his career, both as a player and coach. During England's tour of West Indies in 1980-81, his visa was cancelled by the Guyanese Government for his involvement with South African cricket. Those were the apartheid days and such an action wasn't unexpected. However, Jackman had the support of the team and the Test match was eventually abandoned. After his coaching career, Jackman spent considerable time as a television commentator, mostly in South African media. His cheerful and chirpy nature was typical of him, both during his playing days and as an expert.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan