What Would Adrian Kuiper Be Worth Today?

February 20, 1994. Centurion. Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott is steaming in – trademark white zinc smeared across his nose – towards South African allrounder Adrian Kuiper. 

In the space of six unforgettable balls, Western Province’s talisman took 26 runs off the fiery paceman in what remains one of the most talked about overs in South African cricket.

For many fans that over cemented Kuiper’s reputation as a superstar. But for some of us he was already one.

As a youngster watching the 1992 Cricket World Cup, it was the first time my generation had been exposed to international cricket on a truly global stage. And Kuiper’s fearless style of play made him one of the players who immediately captured the imagination.

So you can imagine that sitting across from one of my childhood heroes recently was a slightly surreal moment. There I was, in Adrian Kuiper’s kitchen on his apple farm in Elgin in the Western Cape, while he calmly made me a cappuccino before we recorded a podcast. 

Honour and privilege probably still do not quite capture that moment…

Our conversation ranged across his 20-year career, his life after cricket, and the unique balance he struck during his playing days. 

Kuiper would travel from his Elgin farm to Newlands Cricket Ground every day. That daily routine, he explained, helped him maintain perspective and kept his love for the game alive without burning out.

In many ways he was a reluctant superstar in an era when South African domestic cricket was arguably at its strongest.

The conversation took place just before the auction for Season 4 of the Betway SA20. At the time there was already plenty of speculation about what the likes of Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis might fetch once the bidding began.

When the hammer finally fell the numbers were staggering. Brevis became the most expensive player in the league when he was bought by the Pretoria Capitals for R16.5-million, while Markram was snapped up by Durban’s Super Giants for R14-million. 

Those figures inevitably raise a fascinating question: What would players from Kuiper’s era have been worth if they were playing today?

Comparing eras is never straightforward, particularly with the rise of T20 cricket coming long after Kuiper’s career had ended. But it does make for an entertaining exercise in imagination.

Current Proteas all rounder Wiaan Mulder, for example, was bought by the Joburg Super Kings for just under R10-million at that same auction.

So I pose the question: “Would you be a R10-million buy in an SA20 mock auction?” 

Kuiper shrugged, smiled, and replied with typical understatement: “Don’t make it a mock auction, send Graeme [Smith] my bank details!”

And perhaps that is the point. Players like Kuiper, Peter Kirsten (another guest on The Biggest Man in Cricket) and many others from that era were in many ways ahead of their time. 

The financial rewards that define the modern professional game were not yet part of the landscape, but their impact on South African cricket was immense.

The millions may belong to the modern players, but the memories belong to the stars of yesteryear.

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