Former South African opener and convener of selectors Andrew Hudson is our Legend of the Week.
Hudson will always be remembered for his monumental nine-hour 163 on debut, in South Africa’s first Test back, against Curtly Ambrose, Patrick Patterson and friends in Barbados in 1991-92.
He was the first South African to make a century on debut, a feat that was not emulated until Jacques Rudolph scored 222 not out against a rather friendlier Bangladesh attack in April 2003.
His average, above 40 for a long while, slipped steadily and was as low as 33 when he played his last Test, against Pakistan in 1997-98.
He tended to thrive when the going got tough, most notably with an outstanding 80 when South Africa were put in by India on a juicy Durban track in 1996-97. Nobody else passed 35, and Hudson’s 80 was more than what the whole Indian team got in their second innings.
Hudson was appointed as South Africa’s convener of selectors in May 2010 and was in the job for five years. He decided in April 2015 not to make himself available for reappointment, instead deciding to focus on his banking career and family life.
