Clive Rice didn’t want CSA to attend his funeral
DUBAI/MUMBAI: In the memory of Clive Rice, the former South Africa all-rounder, who passed away on Tuesday, Hashim Amla’s men will be wearing a black armband before the commencement of the second Test match against Bangladesh on Thursday. This was revealed by Michael Owen-Smith, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) spokesman.
Speaking from Johannesburg, he said, “the team will be wearing black armbands as a mark of respect”.
Earlier, the team manager, Ms. Lerato Malekutu, speaking exclusively from Dhaka, said, “we will be wearing black armbands. No players will be returning back to SA (for the funeral)”.
Interestingly, Clive Rice didn’t want the board members to remain present in his funeral.
In February 2013, when CSA refused to honour two deceased players (because Peter van der Merwe and Neil Adcock played in apartheid-era) with a minute’s silence, former players including Graeme Pollock had launched a scathing attack on the national cricket board and Clive Rice even asked his national cricket board to stay away from his funeral in future.
However, CSA did release the condolence message and paid tribute to their first captain. CSA flew the flag at its offices in Johannesburg at half-mast in tribute. The surgeon was not aware about his recent hospitalization in South Africa.
Dr. P. S. Sridhar, who treated Rice for his brain tumor in India this year was socked to hear the sad news. “How come he died”, he asked when the news was broken to him.
Clive Rice enjoying VIP hospitality in India
Former South African captain Clive Rice had his last round of robotic radiation treatment for his cancer-related brain tumor in Indian hospital on Friday.
The 66-year-old ex-all rounder may be allowed to return to his country early next week.
“Clive Rice has been responding well to the treatment. His morale is very high”, Dr PS Sridhar, the specialist in such ‘CyberKnife’ treatment, said over telephone from Bangalore.
Clive Rice has been enjoying VIP hospitality in India. “Everyone here in the hospital and hotel is helping us in every possible manner and my husband is well looked after”, Rice’s wife, Susan, said exclusively over telephone from Hotel room.
“Patient, Mr. Clive Rice is a former cricketer of South Africa (Ex- Captain) and is a very high value patient to us. We need to ensure that Mr Rice has the best possible service from our side as he has chosen our hospital over many others and could be a boost for us in the future”, Sharath Sathyan, the official of the Healthcare Global Hospital had informed to all his concerned staff members in a letter, a copy of which is in our possession.
“Clive Rice is VIP patient. We need to arrange senior staff for airport pick up and registration and blood sample needs to be collected from Hotel only”, the official had instructed on Rice’s arrival in India.
Rice’s Cyberknife treatment will cost him : USD 9000 (PET CT+MRI + treatment).
Chemotherapy with biologicals: USD 1000 ( or more per cycle)
(cost for chemotherapy may vary depending on the drugs used).
