John Traicos, the story of an Egyptian-born cricketer who played after 22 years and got Sachin Tendulkar for 0

John Traicos has the dinstinction of being the only Zimbabwe bowler to have dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for 0 in Tests. (Image credit: Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | May 17, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

John Traicos has a unique global story. His story is remarkable for two reasons. He is the first Egyptian-born cricketer. Zagazig is 82 kms from Cairo and it was in this place that Traicos was born. He was of Greek origin, his father having been born in Lemnos, Greece and his maternal grandmother in Kalymnos, also in Greece. After some time, he immigrated to Soithern Rhodesia and studied in the University of Natal. It was there that he was coached by Trevor Goddard, a former South Africa player and he and honed his skills in the game. This is where his second remarkable story comes.

John Traicos was part of the South Africa cricket team that was dominating world cricket at that time. Having won in England and Australia, South Africa were looking to dominate at home. John Traicos played a vital role in the 1969/70 series in which South Africa whitewashed Australia 4-0.

A remarkable tragedy for John Traicos

But, a tragedy occurred. South Africa was banned from international cricket for 22 years due to their Apartheid policies. He continued to play cricket for Southern Rhodesia. However, when Zimbabwe got independence in 1980, Traicos played for the nation in ODIs. During the 1983 World Cup, he was part of the side that defeated the mighty Australians. Although he took no wickets, Traicos bowled two maidens and conceded just 27 runs in 12 overs.

 In 1992, 22 years and 222 days later, Traicos made a comeback. This time, not for South Africa, but for Zimbabwe. The country was playing their first Test match and India were the opponents in Harare. Traicos was included in the side. With his inclusion, history was created.

Traicos’ Test gap of 22 years and 222 days was the most for any player. At age 45, he became the third-oldest player in Tests to play international cricket. He also became one of the select few to play Test matches for two countries. However, his debut for Zimbabwe would be memorable for one more massive reason.

Getting rid of Sachin Tendulkar for 0

When one looks at the stats of Sachin Tendulkar in Tests against Zimbabwe, he has been dismissed for 0 only once in their head-to-head meetings. That happened in 1992 when he played his first Test in the country. Traicos, bowling to a 19-year-old Tendulkar, had him caught and bowled for 0. That would be the only duck Tendulkar would have in his whole career against Zimbabwe. In fact, Tendulkar would never score a century in Tests against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. Perhaps, Traicos’ dismissal played a part.

His figures of 50-16-86-5 helped Zimbabwe draw a dull Test in Harare. This would be Traicos’ only five-wicket haul in Tests but it would be a cherished one. Traicos would play seven Tests and 27 ODIs until 1993. However, there would be more to the Traicos story.

Migrating to Australia

Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe and now Australia. Traicos would not live long in Zimbabwe as the political unrest in the region gripped Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe and his populist ZANU-PF government were on the cusp of formulating their land ownership policies. Anticipating that trouble would be coming, Traicos fled Zimbabwe and migrated to Perth in Western Australia. From 2005 to 2007, he was the company secretary for Tanami Gold. Following that stint, he became the legal manager and company secretary in MZI resources from 2013 to 2019.

In his bio, Traicos has more than 30 years of experience in legal and corporate affairs in Australia and Southern Africa. He has acted as a legal and commercial manager and company secretary to Australian resource companies. He has been involved in resource projects and acquisitions in Australia, Africa and Indonesia.

Traicos has one daughter and she is an actress. Chloe Traicos had produced a controversial documentary about Mugabe in 2005. This resulted in her fleeing from the country. Chloe works in several TV series and in a film called Devil’s Cove which was released in 2018.

Traicos is the first global cricketer in every sense of the word. He is Greek, born in Egypt, played for South Africa and Zimbabwe and now currently in Australia. It is a shame that apartheid took away 22 years of his career. But, the impact that Traicos had in that limited time was marvelous.





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