CENTURION

By Paul Smith

A SMITH SCRIPT

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CENTURION

A PLAY OF

BY PAUL SMITH

CHARACTERS

AGES GIVEN ARE THOSE AT THE TIME OF THE CENTURION TEST MATCH IN 2000

WESSEL JOHANNES ‘HANSIE’ CRONJE SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKET – AGED 30

NASSER HUSSAIN ENGLAND CRICKET CAPTAIN – AGED 31

MARLON ARONSTAM SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSMAN, OWNER OF NATIONAL SPORTING INDEX – AGED MID 30’S

ALEC STEWART ENGLAND WICKETKEEPER AND FORMER CAPTAIN – AGED 36

DUNCAN FLETCHER ZIMBABWE-BORN ENGLAND CRICKET COACH – AGED 51

PHIL TUFNELL ENGLAND SPIN BOWLER – AGED 33

JACQUES KALLIS SOUTH AFRICAN ALL-ROUNDER – AGED 24

DARRYL CULLINAN SOUTH AFRICAN BATSMAN – AGED 32

MARK BOUCHER SOUTH AFRICAN WICKETKEEPER – AGED 23

ENGLISH COMMENTATOR SOUTH AFRICAN COMMENTATOR TV REPORTER INTERVIEWER

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A Note on the Production

The play should be presented with as much fluidity as possible and as little set as possible. There should be though, some symbolic representations of the game of cricket, pertinent to the story. Throughout there should be a screen in use which does not interfere with the action, when stills or moving footage should be used. This should never interrupt or impact on the dialogue and can be most effective at scene changes. The Commentators, Interviewer and Reporter could either be live on stage or as voice overs. The Commentators do not need to have actual footage from the game on the screen as this may be difficult to acquire. Sound effects throughout are not overly mentioned but will play an important aspect of the production. Music can be used carefully – but please avoid ‘Soul Limbo’. The dates should be highlighted throughout – this is important to allow the audience to follow the timeline of events.

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CENTURION

SCENE ONE – , Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa – 18 January 2000 The sounds of a cricket match, of crowds cheering, footage or still photos on a screen.

ENG COMMENTATOR What seems so incredible is that the whole game appeared to be petering out to a draw even by the end of the first day with the wretched weather forecast. Then suddenly after three days lost to the rain, we reach this situation. If anyone is just tuning in and haven’t been glued to their radio, England need just two runs to win in the last over in a game which has turned from the dull to the spectacular. Hayward to bowl, Gough on strike. It’s short and Gough pulls it. They won’t stop that. England have won an extraordinary game of cricket. One which none of those playing or are here watching at Centurion Park will ever forget. This is what is about and although it is something of a consolation win for England, it will give those who return home tomorrow a rather more pleasant journey than they might have otherwise expected. All credit to the South African Captain, for displaying a level of sportsmanship which we have rarely seen before. SA COMMENTATOR The England players are exuberant which is hardly to be surprised at. By contrast the South African boys look rather downcast. If you didn’t know the of the series, looking at the scenes here you would assume that England had just completed a very comprehensive whitewash over South Africa. Let’s see what the two captains have to say. Lights come up on a TV REPORTER and the England Cricket Captain, REPORTER Nasser, congratulations on the win. Your thoughts please. HUSSAIN It’s been a remarkable day. A result seemed impossible, so I have to hand it to Hansie, his early declaration and the forfeiting of the innings meant the inevitable draw became a really fantastic and exciting match. Up until the last over it could have been anyone’s. I

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just want to thank my team. It’s a young team and getting a win in South Africa is such an achievement and will give us all a real boost. After a disappointing tour, we hope that we have been able to reward our many supporters who have travelled with us for their patience. REPORTER Thank you Nasser HUSSAIN leaves, shaking hands with HANSIE CRONJE who comes towards the REPORTER REPORTER Hansie, I am sure you and the boys will be disappointed at losing the match, but at the start of the day, there was really only likely to be one outcome. CRONJE Look the series was done and dusted as far as we were concerned. There were 22 players sitting about for 3 days not being able to play the game they love. It seemed to me only sensible to give them and the supporters a match rather than something unexciting and, ultimately, pointless. I think we have used the rules for the good of the game. Cricket is the real winner here. REPORTER Well, that’s as may be, but you made the gesture which can only be regarded as incredibly sporting. CRONJE It’s been a good series for us and losing today does nothing to reduce the impact of our overall win. I should like to thank my team for the spirited way in which they have played to ensure the public who paid money to see good cricket, did just that. REPORTER Thank you Hansie CRONJE leaves REPORTER I think we can only re-iterate the words of Hansie Cronje, when we say that following such an act of pure sportsmanship, the real winner today, is the game of cricket.

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SCENE TWO – A Hotel Room – 17 January 2000

CRONJE is lying on a couch in a hotel room. A cell phone rings. CRONJE looks at the and then answers it. MARLON ARONSTAM could just be a voice at this point or be seen on his phone elsewhere on stage.

CRONJE Hello? ARONSTAM Mr Cronje? CRONJE Yes ARONSTAM Hansie Cronje? CRONJE Who is this? ARONSTAM My name is Marlon Aronstam CRONJE Where did you get my cellphone number? ARONSTAM Mr Cronje, or do you mind me calling you Hansie? I am involved with a company called NSI and I am a very keen cricket lover. I follow it all over the world. It is a shame that the Centurion Test Match looks like reaching a stalemate. CRONJE Yes, well, we cannot control the weather. Look what do you want? ARONSTAM Indeed we might not be able to control the weather Hansie, but we do have a certain influence on the game. We might even have some influence on the outcome. CRONJE What do you mean? ARONSTAM Come on Hansie. I just want to see a result to the game, it would make the series reach a really exciting conclusion. You’ve still won it. England cannot win the series. You have that in the bag. You might be able to win even more convincingly. As it is at the moment, it is destined for a boring draw which nobody wants. CRONJE What are you suggesting? ARONSTAM I won’t beat about the bush Hansie. I am a betting man, and I think the odds on there being a positive result at the moment would be very favourable to even the smallest wager. A silence

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A strategic declaration maybe. Forfeit an innings each side. Could be exciting. A silence Hansie, let’s make it a little bit more worthwhile. If we can set this up, how about I make a donation of R500 000 to a charity of your choice? A silence And a little present for you as well. A silence Come on Hansie, a gesture such as this could only enhance your reputation. South African cricket isn’t known for taking risks, all very safe and, dare I say it dull. I know that is a motif which has often been attached to you, and I for one don’t believe it. Put a bit of zest into South African cricket and see the applause you get for it. CRONJE I will think about it. ARONSTAM How about we have a quick talk about this face to face? I can be at your hotel in a couple of hours. CRONJE Well… ARONSTAM I won’t take up too much of your time and I really would like to meet you! CRONJE I’m at the…. ARONSTAM I know where you are. I’ll call you when I am in reception. See you later. CRONJE turns off his phone

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SCENE THREE CRONJE in a light

CRONJE We had been playing a match in and in order to get home well in time for a special Christening the next day, I decided to drive back to myself. I was joined by Roger Brown. We left Durban about 4.30pm and after about an hour and a half and with the light beginning to fade, we found ourselves passing a taxi. In that moment a little girl ran into the road. We hit her. By the time we reached her body, she was dead. At the Christening the next day I wept throughout the service. Here was I celebrating a new young life when the night before I had extinguished one. I couldn’t cope with anything. Soon after the terrible events, Bertha found that she had a re- awakening of her religious beliefs. Through her I realised that having a personal relationship with Christ was so important and necessary to me. From that moment I committed my life to Him. In myself I became a calmer, more peaceful and free person. Free in the knowledge that I had been reborn as a child of God. I had and still have a very firm belief that I really do have a Saviour in Jesus Christ. Through Him I will have a loving relationship with God on this Earth and will look forward to spending an eternity with Him in Heaven.

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SCENE FOUR - CRONJE’s Hotel Room – 17 January 2000 A knock at the door. CRONJE answers it to ARONSTAM

ARONSTAM Hansie. Marlon Aronstam. It’s good to meet you, a real honour. Thank you for seeing me at such short notice. I think you’ll agree though that should this idea go ahead then time is very much of the essence. CRONJE Yes of course. Well, we can’t put a halt to the inevitable I suppose. ARONSTAM I’ve really enjoyed this series. Always good to see the English take a hiding. As a fan, it’s always a terrible disappointment to end a series with a washout. CRONJE It’s the same for us. We hate the memory of a dull final day. ARONSTAM Forgive me if I am wrong, but I don’t believe that a team have ever forfeited an innings in the pursuit of a result in test cricket. CRONJE I can’t recall one. ARONSTAM But you will recall many matches which have ended the way we are heading at Centurion. CRONJE Of course. ARONSTAM I just love cricket you know. It’s the perfect game. It has everything; precision, pace, strategy, elegance, tactics, skill, luck, intelligence. All in far greater quantity than any other game on earth. CRONJE I agree. ARONSTAM You know there is so much money flying around in cricket today. On there might not be in South Africa - we may only be talking about the odd few thousand dollars – but you go to the Subcontinent. Oh Hansie, we are talking big money. There are maybe a couple of thousand individuals who will look at placing bets in the hundreds of thousands on one result. The risk big money and get rewarded likewise. Big money Hansie. CRONJE I am aware of it. I have had offers. ARONSTAM I am no surprised. In fact I would have been surprised if you hadn’t been approached. The betting world in and Pakistan is substantial. CRONJE I was offered something like 10,000 US dollars in 1995 to influence the results of a match. ARONSTAM And?

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CRONJE I didn’t have to consider it for too long before turning I down. I wasn’t long before I was aware of similar offers made to me and other international players. ARONSTAM These are businessmen. They play the markets. Cricket is a market like any other and they just have to make sure that they are one step ahead all the time. CRONJE I never took up any of the offers. I never threw a game. ARONSTAM And I am not asking you to do that now. What I want to suggest is that you do something which has a really positive effect on the game. Cricket needs excitement. It needs to capture the imagination of the people. CRONJE Maybe. ARONSTAM And you need to arrest those accusations of you being boring and unadventurous. Endear yourself to the public. It might help them overlook your poor form. CRONJE You follow the game closely. ARONSTAM All the time Hansie. I am an addict. I have been all over India watching matches and getting to understand how the gambling world works there. I tell you Hansie it’s a bit of a circus. It’s mad. But by hell it is a lucrative market if you get it right. I have learned to get it right. CRONJE I am sure. ARONSTAM And I know you are rather partial to some of the finer things in life aren’t you? Quite fond of a little extra cash in your pocket? I can help. CRONJE But the risk.. ARONSTAM That’s just it. There isn’t one. You haven’t got to do anything but help ensure there isn’t a draw. Which is the conclusion to the game that everyone wants to see. You risk nothing. You play to win. CRONJE I always play to win. ARONSTAM There you are then. You will be doing nothing different. Exactly what your country and your team-mates will expect of you. All I am looking for here is to make tomorrow a contest. Let’s get cricket on the front pages because a phoenix has risen from the ashes. Now I realise his isn’t something you can do by yourself. I know that Nasser Hussain is also staying at this hotel. What say you call his room and get him to join us and then we could have the whole thing sewn up by the morning

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