There have been many kind and sad words spoken and written about this master of cricket writing in the last 48 hours; in papers and blogs in equal measure. Although no one person seems to have a full grasp of the enigma that was Peter Roebuck, the sum of the pieces paints the picture of a brilliant thinker on the game, a fascinating person and yet flawed - to the last it seems. For me, I have lost my favourite cricket writer. One I discovered on cricinfo around the time I first began this blog and I have read or at least sampled every weekly entry he has published on that website since. As a blogger, Roebuck was my role model; I consistently agreed with him on key issues and appreciated his well-phrased, yet straightforward prose and ability to be either harsh or kind without ever reeking of bias or disrespect for the reader. When you read a person like that you don't really mind if you disagree with them, you respect that in those moments they are being genuine and are totally committed to their point even if, in your own mind, they appear to be wrong.
The reason my title questions the age old sign-off for those who depart the plain of the living is because the idea of such peaceful rest seems hardly appropriate on one hand and yet eerily so on the other. For, as I mentioned above, Roebuck was a mysterious man to say the least. Distant to many, a loner, convicted of assault in 2001 (after employing corporal punishment on young cricketers he was coaching) and the questions that remain unanswered surrounding his death. He played over 300 first class matches, amassed 17,500+ runs @ 37 but ruined his friendship with Sir Ian Botham after supporting the Somerset (the county he captained between 1986 and 1991) decision not to renew contracts for Sir Vivian Richards and Joel Garner. This was a man of many demons and yet such brilliant opinions on the game and those involved in it.
They say it isn't kind to speak ill of the dead but to ignore the flaws in ones heroes is a dangerous and certainly foolish habit. Not to mention inappropriate in the case of a writer who pulled no punches as in Australia (where he wrote for much of the last few decades) when he was especially scathing of the national team and Ponting in particular, after the victory at the SCG against India in 2007/08.
I have long said that my ideal blogging style, the one that I would most enjoy reading and that which I would most like to aspire to, is that created by Peter Roebuck in the last 30 years (with perhaps a touch of Zatlzman's humour) and that is the best tribute I can provide to the man who has helped guide me through my early days of writing about the sport that I and clearly, he loved more than any other. I would urge you to read some of his work, his books, articles or blog pieces and benefit from the best of the generation.
I'm not sure if Roebuck was ever capable of peaceful rest in life or if he could experience it in death but I would hope he could rest assured that his style, neutral, fearless-contrarian nature lives on in myself and others who enjoyed his vast contribution to cricket
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