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One-eyed Test Cricketer: ‘Buster’ Nupen

There is a general view that Mansur Ali Khan (the erstwhile junior Nawab of Pataudi) played cricket with just one eye. This is not entirely the full picture. Tiger, as he was nicknamed, did have a loss of vision as a result of a car crash in 1961 while at Oxford University.

Later thankfully his vision, though severely impaired, returned through complex surgeries. In his autobiography Tiger admitted that initially he had double vision but gradually the sight improved to an extent. Certain problems remained but he overcame the great visual handicap in his own way. 

 Later through very determined practice, the immensely talented batter regained his fitness and consequently his form. He went on to play for India within a year of his injury.

Scored centuries including a double hundred. Fielded magnificently in the covers. Was certainly among the best in the world. Led the team with panache. Miraculous recovery of a very courageous gentleman.

As a real leader, he transformed the young Indian cricketing talents into a fighting unit at a very critical juncture in the 1960s. Communalism and provincialism never crossed his broad mind. An exemplary gentleman of the ‘old school’.

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However, one Test player actually played international cricket with just one eye! A South African Test cricketer by the name of Eiulf Peter ‘Buster’ Nupen. Of Norweigian parentage, ‘Buster’ Nupen played in 17 Tests between 1921 and 1935, capturing 50 wickets. On matting wickets he was considered almost unplayable such was the ferocity of his off-cutters and pace.

As child of 4 while playing with hammer and nails, a wooden splinter got lodged in his eye. The most unfortunate accident led to complete loss of vision in his left eye. A similar permanent damage would have frustrated any person. But the Norweigian ‘Buster’ Nupen decided to meet the challenge face to face.

He took to cricket and decided to make himself into a pace bowler. For the right-handed bowler, the unaffected right-eye posed no problem in aiming at the batter’s wicket. Picture yourself as a right-handed rifle shooter. Through sheer intelligent application he developed his bowling style.

Playing on matting wickets in South Africa, Nupen found that he could bowl fastish off-cutter which would leap at the batter on the matting pitches. Actually he bowled more of cross-seam (fastish off-break) instead of off-the-seam cutters.

Another interesting issue happened to be that as stand-in skipper Buster Nupen led South Africa to a victory over England in the only Test he captained. Nupen was the highest wicket-taker with 5 and 6 wickets in that match. The selectors in their wisdom decided not to appoint him as captain again!

Eiulf Peter ‘Buster’ Nupen would go down in cricket history as a man who played Test cricket with just one eye. To be an international sport performer with such a serious, permanent handicap is almost unheard of. Height of courage and application indeed.