Name:

Bacher, Ali A

Nickname:

Aron

Date of Birth:

24 May 1942

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Roodepoort

Career:

Test: 1965 - 1970
First Class: 1959 - 1974

Teams:

South Africa (Country)
Transvaal (Regional)

Ali Bacher: 'I captained the finest South Africa team' (1970)

Ali Bacher: Successful captain, career cut short by apartheid ban

Ali Bacher was a right handed batsman who was a successful schoolboy cricketer. He captained King Edward school and made his first class debut for Transvaal at the age of 17. In a first-class match for Transvaal against the visiting Australian cricket team in 1966/67, he made his highest first class score of 235.

Bacher captained the national team in only one series: in 1969/70 against Bill Lawry's visiting Australians. South Africans won all the Tests in the four match series. He only played 12 Tests, scoring 679 runs with a top score of 73

South Africa was banned in 1970 for its apartheid policies. Bacher retired from first class cricket in 1974 to practice as a doctor.

Bacher was convinced that apartheid would not end in his lifetime and encouraged tours by unofficial rebel teams from Sri Lanka, England, West Indies and Australia during the 1980s.

When apartheid was being dismantled during the early 1990s, Bacher setup a unified cricket body and applied for re-admission to the ICC which was successful. He was the team manager for the first post-apartheid South African tour to India in 1991.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter