Clive Rice
A fierce all-rounder who captained Nottinghamshire to glory and became a symbol of post-isolation South African cricket.
1949–2015 (age 66)·South African cricketer·Birthday: July 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Clive Rice's career unfolded in two compelling acts, both marked by formidable skill and a competitive fire that burned white-hot. As a hard-hitting batsman and a sharp, medium-pace bowler, he was the engine of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club for nearly a decade, leading them to their first County Championship title in over fifty years in 1981. His leadership transformed the team. The second act was one of profound frustration and symbolic importance. For most of his prime, South Africa's apartheid-era sporting ban kept him off the international stage. When the ban was lifted, he finally, at age 42, captained a nascent South African team in their historic return to ODI cricket in 1991. Rice thus stands as a giant of county cricket and a poignant figure who bridged his nation's troubled past and its sporting future.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Clive was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clive Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Clive's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2015Died at 66
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Captained Nottinghamshire to the County Championship title in 1981, ending a 52-year drought for the club.
- Scored over 26,000 first-class runs and took more than 930 wickets, showcasing elite all-round ability.
- Was appointed the first captain of post-isolation South Africa, leading the team in their historic 1991 ODI series in India.
- Had a first-class batting average of 40.95 and a bowling average of 22.49, highlighting his dual threat.
Did You Know?
He was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1982.
Rice played World Series Cricket for Kerry Packer's breakaway organization.
He had a successful stint in South African domestic cricket with Transvaal after his county career.
His international career consisted of just three ODIs, all captained at the age of 42.
“You play to win the game, no matter what.”
