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An Incurable Optimist
South Africa has produced great cricketers in its cricketing history. One of them who can be specially ranked among them was a batsman named Allen Melville. He would never despair in any situation, howsoever critical it may have been. He would face any bowler with courage and without faltering. He belonged to the state of Natal in South Africa.
He joined the Oxford University in England for further studies. He had never played on a turf wicket in his country. But Oxford had only turf wickets and yet Allen never felt nervous or uneasy while playing there.
In the very first match that he played in England, he scored an unbeaten 132 runs. Everyone was amazed by his solid performance. Then he played a match against the Kent County as a member of the Oxford team and scored a gritty 78. Unfortunately he was run out in that match. Next was an encounter with the Yorkshire County in which he scored 118 runs. His style of batting was very attractive and his running between the wickets was unique. Under his captaincy, the Oxford team defeated the Cambridge University team in the year 1931. It was a glorious victory for Oxford.
Thereafter he faced a series of difficulties and problems. First, he met with a car accident in which the vertebra of his
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