He perfected the late-cut to a nicety, and he was also an exemplary exponent of the late in/out swinging deliveries that bombarded many opposing batsmen.

What he lacked in inches, he made up with sheer grit and determination. As a soccerite, he was courage personified, tackling players that dwarfed him. An outstanding distributor of the ball, he was industrious as a right-half (today called a midfielder).

Enver, the eldest of the late Transvaal Indian Congress president Molvi Ismail Saloojee’s four sons, was prematurely taken away from the world while still in his 40’s.

As his boyhood friend and counterpart, Moosa Mangera, who passed away last November, “Salty” (so nick-named after another popular cricketer from Krugersdorp) was another sport freak, literally picked off the streets in Fietas by legend Ahmed Mia “Jimmy” Bulbulia before reaching his mid-teens.
Arguably, Enver, at another time in another environment, would have been a regular in the Transvaal team. He was an exhilarating slip fielder - an ideal all-rounder any manager or captain could wish for.

Born on 17 January 1943, he attended Fordsburg Primary School, and did his secondary schooling at the Central Indian High, where his headmaster was Mervyn Thandray, and politicos Can Themba and a Mr. Dutini were some of his schoolmasters.

Salty, Moosa and Solly Mangera, Mohammed Ally Karani, as well as his (Salty’s) youngest brother Farouk, were the most prominent of Jimmy’s youthful crop of starlets snatched from oblivion.

Sadly, the last-named also died while his colleagues were playing indoor soccer in Azaadville (West Rand), and he was a spectator.
Diminutive Enver stoically faced up to express deliveries from the likes of Hoosein Ayob, Solly Chotia, Aboo Manack, among others. It is pertinent to remember that the crude matting wickets of yesterday were the direct scenes of conflict. Also, helmets, chest guards and, arm and thigh pads had not featured yet.

He was fluent in style, and consistent always. To the best of my knowledge, I do not recall him hitting a “maximum”. Yet he always featured well in the Crescents’ batting averages, with the ball, he could be confidently relied on to snare a fair share of wickets, or, when the going was tough, to contain even the most aggressive batters.

A member of a highly-politicised family, Enver had just attended the Friday (Jumah) prayers on 1 May 1992 (Workers’ Day), when he had suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. He was 49.

Fond memories of your exploits on the cricket/soccer fields are lovingly recollected.

No unheralded sportsperson is more deserving of this prestigious honour.