Andrew Hall cheats death — twice!

Rarely has one heard a sportsperson shot at point-blank range but managed to come back and play the sport at the international level.

Rarely has one heard a sportsperson shot at point-blank range but managed to come back and play the sport at the international level. Luck, of course, plays a big factor. But it also speaks volumes about the sportsperson’s courage and determination. That’s the story of former South African all-rounder Andrew Hall.

In 1999, Hall, who had just finished his cash transaction in an ATM, was shot six times at point-blank range. A bullet hit his left hand and the other brushed his cheek, leaving gunpowder burns and shrapnel in his eyes. The South African cricketer was down on the floor and the burglars emptied his pockets, took the money, car keys and drove away. He spent three days in hospital, but was on his feet in two weeks — playing cricket!

Less than three years from this incident, Hall, now an established member of the national side, became a car-jacking victim. He was selling his car when two guys who posed as buyers pulled out a gun and made him sit in the car. He was driven around for 45 minutes with a gun on his head. They kept saying him, “Look, we just want the car; there’s no need to be a hero. Just relax and it will be over soon.” In South Africa, where the crime rate is pretty high, such killings are not rare, but the burglars decided to let Hall go and only stole his car.

Despite these scary encounters, Hall went on to appear in 111 international games for South Africa.