An 11-hour time difference separates Dunedin from Johannesburg. By the time New Zealand and England took the field at the University Oval to commence the first Test,it was just past bedtime in the Rutherford household in Turffontein,Johannesburg. Having put his two young daughters to bed,Ken Rutherford made himself a cup of coffee and then plonked himself in front of the television. There was work to get to early in the morning but the former New Zealand skipper,now a bookmaker in South Africa,wasnt budging an inch away from his couch. After all,some 18 years after he had bowed out of international cricket,incidentally at Dunedin,his oldest son Hamish was making his Test debut. Ive spent two sleepless nights now and somehow managed to get to work too, the senior Rutherford says. Hamish of course ended up making his fathers devotion worth it by going on to score 171 against a quality England attack. But Rutherford,who played 56 Tests - captaining in 18 of them - admits to have been a bundle of nerves as he watched Hamish open the innings on Thursday. Theres always focus on a debutant. Im sure even he was feeling anxious, he explains. For the father and the mother too its a similar kind of feeling. With Hamish finishing Day Two unbeaten on 77,Thursday night kept Rutherford increasingly on the edge. I was pacing around. But he played very confidently, he says. Playing on his homeground must have helped. To avoid waking up his daughters,Rutherford had to suppress his excitement,and had to be content by giving his son a gentle round of applause. But there were loads of phone-calls and text messages from friends. Its been amazing. Its been the most terrific 24 hours of my life. However,Rutherford does admit to have felt a bit of envy when the left-hander hit James Anderson for four to score his first runs in Test cricket. With that one shot,Hamish had outdone what his old man had achieved on his debut. Back in 1985 at Trinidad,a 19-year old Rutherford Sr. had bagged a pair against the likes of Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall on debut. In fact,his first seven Test innings resulted in 12 runs. He had overtaken me with just one shot and eventually scored the number of runs I did in some dozen Tests! quips Rutherford. The proud father had witnessed his 23-year-old sons maiden international appearance in person when Hamish made his T20 debut last month at Aucklands Eden Park. Though the tag 'Son of Ken has stayed with him,the junior Rutherfords cricket hasnt been overly influenced by his father. Mainly because Ken hasnt been around enough. Post-retirement,Rutherford captained Gauteng in South Africas provincial cricket before taking up a coaching job with the Ireland national team. He then moved to Turffontein in 2010 to join Phumelela,a tote betting company,as a media executive. But hes always kept an eye on Hamishs cricket development. Father and son are regularly in touch over phone and email. And the two indulge in intense training sessions whenever Rutherford is in town. I was pleasantly surprised when he called me last month and told me about being picked for the T20 side. He deserves it for the hard-work and work ethics he has adopted. My advice was simple,relax and enjoy it,which hes done, says Rutherford. Unfortunately,though,Kens still waiting to congratulate his ward on his special achievement,with Hamish having been flooded with media commitments. But having seen a Rutherford finally make a grand first impression in Tests,the former batsman is in two minds about resisting the temptation to stay glued to the TV for a third sleepless night running.
