Calm after the storm
Clad in semi-formals, Andre Nel greets you with a wide smile and asks you in his drawling Afrikaan accent, “how ya doin?” He comes across more like a business executive, which he currently is, than the mean paceman he was. He appears bigger than he did on television but hardly betrays the image of a fast bowler that foul-mouthed rival batsmen.
“I am the softest guy you can meet off the field,” he tells you adding that his aggression was limited to the cricket field. “Its funny, you guys have seen me on television and I am quite aggressive and passionate. But I am pretty relaxed off the field. But when I get an opportunity to play for my country, you might get one chance and you might as well give it everything. If you dont want to give everything, you might as well leave it. Thats always been my motto in life and thats why I always did well for my country,” he reasons.
Nel, who also played for the Mumbai Indians in IPL, represented South Africa in 36 Tests (123 wickets) and 79 ODIs (103 wickets) between 2001 and 2008. Though his on-field antics didnt endear him to many of …read more
