Name:

D'Oliveira, Basil L

Nickname:

Dolly

Date of Birth:

04 Oct 1931

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Cape Town, Cape Province, Union of South Africa

Date Died:

19 Nov 2011

Career:

Test: 1966 - 1972
ODI: 1971 - 1972
First Class: 1964 - 1980

Teams:

Worcestershire (Regional)
England (Country)

Series in balance until last over: England in Windies (1967)

Basil D'Oliviera: Fine allrounder was catalyst for anti-apartheid campaign

Basil D'Oliveira was born in Cape Town on October 4th 1931 and died on November 19th 2011 at the age of 80 years in Worcester, after battling Parkinson's disease.

He was a fine middle order batsman who bowled useful medium pace. He was a mixed race player of Indian-Portuguese descent who moved to England to avoid the racist selection policy of the apartheid era in South Africa.

With help from John Arlottt the famous broadcaster, D'Oliveira made it through league cricket and eventually secured a county contract with Worcestershire in 1964. He made his Test debut for England in 1966 against the West Indies. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1967.

After scoring a magnificent 158 against Australia at the Oval in the 1968 Ashes, D'Oliveira was a certainty for the winter tour to South Africa in 1968/69. D'Oliveira's omission from the MCC team after pressure from the South African Government sent shockwaves throughout the world, leaving him in the middle of a media storm which eventually brought sport in South Africa to its knees.

Following a huge public outcry, he was eventual selected as a late replacement when Tom Cartwright pulled out due to injury.  The tour was cancelled and South Africa was left in the sporting wilderness from 1970 until the historic day of Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1991.

After the cancellation of the return South African tour to England, D'Oliveira played brilliantly against the Rest of the World side in the summer of 1970. He also played a starring role in England's Ashes win in Australia under Ray Illingworth in 1970/71. His innings of 117 helped save the Test at Melbourne.

He played his final Test in 1972 at the age of 41, against Australia, bringing down the curtain on an international career which had seen him win 44 caps, score 2,484 runs and five centuries at an average of 40.06, while taking 47 wickets at 39.55 runs apiece.

The trophy for the England-South African Test series winner is named in his honour.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter