Basil D'Oliveira
Encyclopedia
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE (4 October 1931 – 19 November 2011), known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricket
er. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured
' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket
, resulting in his emigration to England. D'Oliveira played for the England cricket team in forty-four Test matches
, and four ODIs. Despite his cricketing prowess, he was best known because of the "D'Oliveira affair
", centred around his inclusion in the England side for a planned tour to South Africa in 1968.
, Cape Town
, of Indian-Portuguese descent, as a boy he would make his way down to the Newlands cricket ground
in Cape Town, and climb the trees outside to watch the games.
D'Oliveira captained South Africa's national non-white cricket team, and also played football for the non-white national side.
, and the members and supporters of St Augustine's Cricket Club in Cape Town, he emigrated to England
in 1960, where the journalist John Kay
found him a place in his Central Lancashire League
team of Middleton. D'Oliveira noted his surprise at seeing white people doing menial work, and waiting on him in restaurants. He joined the first-class county Worcestershire
in 1964 and became a British
citizen.
In 1966 he was selected for England
as an all-rounder
, to face the West Indians in the second Test. He made a solid debut, scoring 27 before being run out, and returning figures of 1 for 24 and 1 for 46 with the ball in 39 overs. In the third Test, he scored 76 and 54, while capturing 2 for 51 and 2 for 77 at Trent Bridge, but the West Indies cantered to a 139-run victory. He contributed a fighting 88 in the fourth Test at Headingley, although England once again lost by an innings and 55 runs. D'Oliveira was quietly efficient in the final Test as England turned the tables on the West Indies, winning by an innings and 34 runs to finish the series as 3-1 losers. Against India he hit 109 in the first Test as England won by six wickets and went on to win the series 3-0. Facing Pakistan, he hit fifties in both innings of the first Test in a series that England won 2-0. He was one of the Wisden cricketers of the year for 1967.
Next up was an away series against the West Indies, early in 1968. D'Oliveira didn't turn in his best showing in the five matches, scoring only 137 runs at an average of 27.4. He did a lot of bowling, but picked up only three wickets, even though he was economical. Back in England, it was time for a five-Test Ashes series. The Aussies crushed England by 159 runs in first Test as England crumbled in their second innings, despite D'Oliveira's top scoring effort of 87 not out. 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 left out of the touring party under the pretext that his bowling would not be effective in his native country.
However he was once again selected in June 1969 to face the West Indies, this time in a three-Test series. He followed that with a three-match series against New Zealand and then a seven-Test Ashes series Down Under in which he scored 369 runs at an average of 36.9, including 117 in the fifth Test at the MCG.
England then went on to New Zealand for two Tests, with Dolly scoring 100 in the first one and 58 and five in the second.Pakistan next visited England in 1971, and D'Oliveira enjoyed a fine series with the bat, making 241 runs at an average of 60.25. He was below-par in the three-Test series against India that followed, but was in better form for the visit of Australia in June 1972.
D'Oliveira completed his career having played 41 Tests. He scored 2484 runs at an average of 40.06, with five centuries and 15 fifties. He also captured 47 wickets at 39.55.
Wanting to play interational cricket, D'Oliveira was somewhat cagey about his date of birth. After his death, journalist Pat Murphy
with whom he collaborated on his autobiography stated:
hierarchy and the decision not to pick him was felt by opponents of apartheid to be a way of keeping cricket links with South Africa open. There was 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 B. J. 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.
, and named the 'Basil D'Oliveira Trophy'. In 2005, he was awarded a CBE
in the Queen's Birthday Honours
. In the same year, a stand at New Road, Worcester
, was named in his honour.
In 1980 after the end of his playing career, he wrote an autobiography with the BBC's Pat Murphy
, titled Time to Declare. In it, he stated for the first time that he was glad that the proposed South African cricket tour to England in 1970 was called off, for fear of public disturbances. In 2005, journalist Peter Oborne
wrote a biography entitled Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy, which was accompanied by Paul Yule
's RTS award-winning documentary Not Cricket—The Basil D'Oliveira Conspiracy.
also played first-class cricket for Worcestershire, while his younger brother Ivan
played briefly for Leicestershire
. His grandson Brett D'Oliveira
is currently contracted with Worcestershire and made his debut for the county in 2011.
in later life. He died aged 80, in England, on 19 November 2011.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
, resulting in his emigration to England. D'Oliveira played for the England cricket team in forty-four Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, and four ODIs. Despite his cricketing prowess, he was best known because of the "D'Oliveira affair
D'Oliveira affair
The D'Oliveira affair was an international incident in 1968 surrounding an England cricket tour to South Africa. Basil D'Oliveira, who had previously emigrated to England from South Africa, was included in the England touring squad, but the ruling apartheid government in South Africa objected to...
", centred around his inclusion in the England side for a planned tour to South Africa in 1968.
Early life
Born in Signal HillSignal Hill (Cape Town)
Signal Hill aka Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.The hill is also known as "The Lion's Flank", but this term is obsolete...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, of Indian-Portuguese descent, as a boy he would make his way down to the Newlands cricket ground
Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket...
in Cape Town, and climb the trees outside to watch the games.
D'Oliveira captained South Africa's national non-white cricket team, and also played football for the non-white national side.
Career
With the support of John ArlottJohn Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
, and the members and supporters of St Augustine's Cricket Club in Cape Town, he emigrated to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1960, where the journalist John Kay
John Kay (cricket journalist)
John Kay was a British cricket correspondent for the Manchester Evening News from the end of the Second World War to 1975 and for the Brighton Argus...
found him a place in his Central Lancashire League
Central Lancashire Cricket League
The Central Lancashire League is a fifteen team cricket league, traditionally based in Lancashire, England. It is now based around Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The league runs competitions at First Team, Second Team, Third Team, Under 18, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 levels.The...
team of Middleton. D'Oliveira noted his surprise at seeing white people doing menial work, and waiting on him in restaurants. He joined the first-class county Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
in 1964 and became a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
citizen.
In 1966 he was selected for England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
as an all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
, to face the West Indians in the second Test. He made a solid debut, scoring 27 before being run out, and returning figures of 1 for 24 and 1 for 46 with the ball in 39 overs. In the third Test, he scored 76 and 54, while capturing 2 for 51 and 2 for 77 at Trent Bridge, but the West Indies cantered to a 139-run victory. He contributed a fighting 88 in the fourth Test at Headingley, although England once again lost by an innings and 55 runs. D'Oliveira was quietly efficient in the final Test as England turned the tables on the West Indies, winning by an innings and 34 runs to finish the series as 3-1 losers. Against India he hit 109 in the first Test as England won by six wickets and went on to win the series 3-0. Facing Pakistan, he hit fifties in both innings of the first Test in a series that England won 2-0. He was one of the Wisden cricketers of the year for 1967.
Next up was an away series against the West Indies, early in 1968. D'Oliveira didn't turn in his best showing in the five matches, scoring only 137 runs at an average of 27.4. He did a lot of bowling, but picked up only three wickets, even though he was economical. Back in England, it was time for a five-Test Ashes series. The Aussies crushed England by 159 runs in first Test as England crumbled in their second innings, despite D'Oliveira's top scoring effort of 87 not out. 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 left out of the touring party under the pretext that his bowling would not be effective in his native country.
However he was once again selected in June 1969 to face the West Indies, this time in a three-Test series. He followed that with a three-match series against New Zealand and then a seven-Test Ashes series Down Under in which he scored 369 runs at an average of 36.9, including 117 in the fifth Test at the MCG.
England then went on to New Zealand for two Tests, with Dolly scoring 100 in the first one and 58 and five in the second.Pakistan next visited England in 1971, and D'Oliveira enjoyed a fine series with the bat, making 241 runs at an average of 60.25. He was below-par in the three-Test series against India that followed, but was in better form for the visit of Australia in June 1972.
D'Oliveira completed his career having played 41 Tests. He scored 2484 runs at an average of 40.06, with five centuries and 15 fifties. He also captured 47 wickets at 39.55.
Playing style and personality
D'Oliveira was a successful batsman with a low backlift and powerful strokes. He was also a tough competitor. When he toured Australia in 1970–71 on the night after they won the series 2–0 he pushed his forefinger into the chest of every Australian he met, saying "We stuffed you".Wanting to play interational cricket, D'Oliveira was somewhat cagey about his date of birth. After his death, journalist Pat Murphy
Pat Murphy (sports journalist)
Patrick Murphy, known as "Pat", is an English sports writer and radio broadcaster.A former writer for the Birmingham Post, Murphy is referred to in a book he co-wrote as having "reported on cricket and football for BBC Radio Sport for the past 25 years. He has covered twelve England cricket tours.....
with whom he collaborated on his autobiography stated:
The D'Oliveira Affair
South African cricket officials, realising that the inclusion of D'Oliveira would lead to the cancellation of the tour and probable exclusion from Test cricket, exerted pressure on the MCCMarylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
hierarchy and the decision not to pick him was felt by opponents of apartheid to be a way of keeping cricket links with South Africa open. There was dissent in the press to this course of events and when Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
's Tom Cartwright
Tom Cartwright
Thomas William Cartwright MBE was an English cricketer. He played in five Tests for England in 1964 and 1965. His withdrawal from the 1968-69 tour to South Africa, and replacement in the touring team by Basil D'Oliveira, precipitated the sporting isolation of South Africa until apartheid was...
was ruled out because of injury, D'Oliveira was called up into the squad. South African prime minister B. J. 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.
Legacy
In 2000, he was nominated as one of 10 South African cricketers of the century, despite not having played for South Africa. In 2004, a perpetual trophy was struck for Test series between England and South AfricaSouth African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
, and named the 'Basil D'Oliveira Trophy'. In 2005, he was awarded a CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours
British honours system
The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
. In the same year, a stand at New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...
, was named in his honour.
In 1980 after the end of his playing career, he wrote an autobiography with the BBC's Pat Murphy
Pat Murphy (sports journalist)
Patrick Murphy, known as "Pat", is an English sports writer and radio broadcaster.A former writer for the Birmingham Post, Murphy is referred to in a book he co-wrote as having "reported on cricket and football for BBC Radio Sport for the past 25 years. He has covered twelve England cricket tours.....
, titled Time to Declare. In it, he stated for the first time that he was glad that the proposed South African cricket tour to England in 1970 was called off, for fear of public disturbances. In 2005, journalist Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
wrote a biography entitled Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy, which was accompanied by Paul Yule
Paul Yule
Paul Harris Yule is a photographer and film maker.Born in South Africa his family emigrated to England when he was 8 years old. After studying at Aldenham School and Oxford University he became an acclaimed photojournalist and documentary film maker, founding Berwick Universal Pictures in London in...
's RTS award-winning documentary Not Cricket—The Basil D'Oliveira Conspiracy.
Personal life
He was married to Naomi, and their son Damian D'OliveiraDamian D'Oliveira
Damian Basil D'Oliveira is a former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Worcestershire from 1982 to 1995, and is the current Academy director of Worcestershire County Cricket Club.His father, Basil played first-class cricket for Worcestershire from 1964 to 1980, and England from 1966 to...
also played first-class cricket for Worcestershire, while his younger brother Ivan
Ivan D'Oliveira
Ivan D'Oliveira is a South African former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Leicestershire. He is the brother of Basil D'Oliveira and the uncle of Damian D'Oliveira.-External links:*...
played briefly for Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
. His grandson Brett D'Oliveira
Brett D'Oliveira
Brett Louis D'Oliveira is an English cricketer, a right handed batsman and leg spin bowler who currently plays for Worcestershire. He made his debut for Worcestershire against Yorkshire in a List A August 2011. D'Oliveira signed a one-year contract with Worcestershire in August 2011...
is currently contracted with Worcestershire and made his debut for the county in 2011.
Death
D'Oliveira had Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in later life. He died aged 80, in England, on 19 November 2011.