Basil D'Oliveira

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Basil D'Oliveira
England
Personal information
Full name Basil Lewis D'Oliveira
Nickname Dolly, Bas
Born 4 October 1931 (1931-10-04) (age 76)
Cape Town, South Africa
Role All-rounder, coach
Batting style Right-handed
Bowling style Right arm medium
International information
Test debut (cap 432) 16 June 1966: v West Indies
Last Test 10 August 1972: v Australia
ODI debut (cap 3) 5 January 1971: v Australia
Last ODI 28 August 1972: v Australia
Domestic team information
Years Team
1964 – 1980 Worcestershire
Career statistics
Tests ODI FC LA
Matches 44 4 367 187
Runs scored 2484 30 19490 3770
Batting average 40.06 10.00 40.26 24.96
100s/50s 5/15 0/0 45/101 2/19
Top score 158 17 227 102
Balls bowled 5706 204 41079 7892
Wickets 47 3 551 190
Bowling average 39.55 46.66 27.45 23.56
5 wickets in innings 0 – 17 1
10 wickets in match 0 n/a 2 n/a
Best bowling 3/46 1/19 6/29 5/26
Catches/stumpings 29/– 1/– 215/– 44/–

As of 10 April 2008
Source: Cricinfo

Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE (born 4 October 1931) is a retired cricketer. Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, he was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket. He captained South Africa's national non-white cricket team, and also played football for the non-white national side.[1]

With the support of John Arlott, he emigrated to England in 1960, where he played first in the Central Lancashire League, for Middleton, before joining first-class county Worcestershire in 1964 and becoming a British citizen. By 1966, he was being selected for the English national team, as an outstanding all-rounder, and he was one of the Wisden cricketers of the year for 1967.

D'Oliveira played the first test of the 1968 series against the Australians at Old Trafford, he was then dropped for the subsequent three tests. He was recalled by the selectors for the final test at the Oval and a century (158 runs in the first innings) against Australia seemed to have guaranteed his place in the side to play the 1968-69 Test series in South Africa. He was shockingly left out of the touring party under the pretext that his bowling would not be effective in his native country. South African cricket officials, realising that the inclusion of D'Oliveira would inevitably lead to the cancellation of the tour and probable exclusion from test cricket, exerted pressure on the MCC hierarchy and the decision not to pick him was felt by many to be a way of keeping cricket links with South Africa open. There was serious dissent in the press to this course of events and when Warwickshire's Tom Cartwright was ruled out because of injury D'Oliveira was called up into the squad. South African prime minister BJ Vorster had already made it clear that D'Oliveira's inclusion was not acceptable and despite many negotiations the tour was cancelled. This was seen as a watershed in the sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa.[2]

D'Oliveira revealed later in life that he had been offered money (£50,000), by South African cricket, to make himself unavailable for the tour and future selection for England.

In recent years his health has waned. He suffers from Parkinson's Disease and receives round the clock care in a nursing home.

In 2004, a perpetual trophy was struck for Test series between England and South Africa, and named the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy. In 2005, he was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.[3] In the same year, journalist Peter Oborne wrote a well-received biography, entitled Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy.

In 2004 a stand at Worcestershire's New Road ground was named in his honour.

Basil's son, Damian D'Oliveira, also played first-class cricket for Worcestershire and his brother Ivan played fleetingly for Leicestershire.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cricinfo profile
  2. ^ Jon Gemmell (2004). The Politics of South African Cricket. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0714653462. 
  3. ^ CBE awarded BBC News