Derek Varnals

This article is about the South African cricketer. For the British recording engineer of the same name, see The Moody Blues.

George Derek Varnals (24 July 1935 – 9 September 2019) was a South African cricketer who played in three Test matches in the 1964–65 season.^[2]

Derek Varnals

Personal information
Full name	George Derek Varnals
Born	(1935-07-24)24 July 1935 Durban, Natal, South Africa
Died	9 September 2019(2019-09-09) (aged 84) St Leonards, Sydney, Australia[1]
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm
International information
National side	South Africa
Test debut	4 December 1964 v England
Last Test	1 January 1965 v England
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 3 49 Runs scored 97 2,628 Batting average 16.16 30.20 100s/50s 0/0 4/15 Top score 23 151* Balls bowled 12 12 Wickets 0 0 Bowling average – – 5 wickets in innings – – 10 wickets in match – – Best bowling – – Catches/stumpings 0/– 15/–
Source: Cricinfo, 16 April 2021

The South African cricket commentator Charles Fortune described him as "a compact and correct player with a good range of shots that came more of timing than of power".^[3] A right-handed batsman, Varnals played South African domestic first-class cricket, for Eastern Province, Transvaal and Natal, between 1955 and 1965.^[1] Apart from the 1957–58 season, when he averaged more than 50 runs per innings and made his highest score – 151 not out in Eastern Province's total of 267, when he opened the innings against Border and carried his bat – his record was relatively modest until 1964–65.^[3][4]

Three centuries in the first half of the 1964–65 season, including one for Natal against the touring MCC side, propelled Varnals into the South African cricket team for the first three Tests against England.^[5] He batted a long way down the order and, although he showed useful adhesion in helping to avert defeat in the second match, his highest score in six innings was only 23.^[5][6] When he was dropped after the third match, he retired from first-class cricket.^[3] His only first-class bowling was in the final overs of his final Test match.^[5]

Varnals later moved to Australia to be closer to his children. He died in Sydney in September 2019.^[3]

References

1. Derek Varnals, CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 April 2021. (subscription required)
2. "Derek Varnals". Cricket Country. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
3. Wisden 2022, pp. 263–64.
4. "Border v Eastern Province 1957-58". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
5. Derek Varnals, CricInfo. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
6. "2nd Test, Johannesburg, December 23-29, 1964, England tour of South Africa". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2022.

External links

• Derek Varnals at ESPNcricinfo