KOCHI: Be it a proper cricket pitch or the sandy shores of a beach, picking up the bat and knocking off a few boundaries and sixes is not a big thing for ace cricketers like former Test and one-day international South African middle-order batsman Jonty Rhodes.
The cricketer, regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all time and the first South African cricketer to take 100 ODI catches, was in his element when he joined a group of local cricket players at Marari Beach in Alappuzha recently.
“The cricketer was here on a private visit along with his family. He arrived at Marari in Alappuzha on September 27 and went back after a stay of one week. He stayed with his family on a houseboat and visited many tourist places in the district,” said Raju Marari, executive member of Kerala-HATS, an association of homestays in the state.
Rhodes went on backwater cruises and visited several notable attractions, including the historic Alappuzha Lighthouse, Krishnapuram Palace, and famous temples like the Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple.
According to Raju Marari, on one of his outings, Rhodes came across a group of local youth playing cricket and, after watching them for a while, decided to join them. “It was a joyous occasion for the players and also the cricketer, who got to relive his cricketing days.”