Basil D'Oliveira

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Basil D'Oliveira


country = England
fullname = Basil Lewis D'Oliveira
nickname = Dolly, Bas
living = true
dayofbirth = 4
monthofbirth = 10
yearofbirth = 1931
placeofbirth = Cape Town
countryofbirth = South Africa
batting = Right-handed
bowling = Right arm medium
role = All-rounder, coach
international = true
testdebutdate = 16 June
testdebutyear = 1966
testdebutagainst = West Indies
testc

lasttestdate = 10 August
lasttestyear = 1972
lasttestagainst = Australia
odidebutdate = 5 January
odidebutyear = 1971
odidebutagainst = Australia
odic

lastodidate = 28 August
lastodiyear = 1972
lastodiagainst = Australia
club2 = Worcestershire
year2 = 1964 – 1980
club1 = Middleton C.C
year1 = 1960 – 1963
deliveries = balls
columns = 4
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 44
runs1 = 2484
bat avg1 = 40.06
100s/50s1 = 5/15
top score1 = 158
deliveries1 = 5706
wickets1 = 47
bowl avg1 = 39.55
fivefor1 = 0
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 3/46
catches/stumpings1 = 29/–
column2 = ODI
matches2 = 4
runs2 = 30
bat avg2 = 10.00
100s/50s2 = 0/0
top score2 = 17
deliveries2 = 204
wickets2 = 3
bowl avg2 = 46.66
fivefor2 = –
tenfor2 = n/a
best bowling2 = 1/19
catches/stumpings2 = 1/–
column3 = FC
matches3 = 367
runs3 = 19490
bat avg3 = 40.26
100s/50s3 = 45/101
top score3 = 227
deliveries3 = 41079
wickets3 = 551
bowl avg3 = 27.45
fivefor3 = 17
tenfor3 = 2
best bowling3 = 6/29
catches/stumpings3 = 215/–
column4 = LA
matches4 = 187
runs4 = 3770
bat avg4 = 24.96
100s/50s4 = 2/19
top score4 = 102
deliveries4 = 7892
wickets4 = 190
bowl avg4 = 23.56
fivefor4 = 1
tenfor4 = n/a
best bowling4 = 5/26
catches/stumpings4 = 44/–
date = 10 April
year = 2008
source = http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11914.html 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. [ [http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/PLAYERS/ENG/D/DOLIVEIRA_BL_01001283/ Cricinfo profile] ]

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 in the sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa. [citebook|title=The Politics of South African Cricket |author= Jon Gemmell|year= 2004|publisher=Routledge (UK)|url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0714653462&id=CTIZdi9DjBQC&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&ots=4_AU4URPbt&dq=%22Basil+D%27Oliveira%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=dtGOC75WQEjDJmTPnN1V8KTr0yM |id=ISBN 0714653462 ]

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 EnglandFact|date=July 2008.

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. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4078158.stm CBE awarded] BBC News] 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 [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/11916.html] and his brother Ivan played fleetingly for Leicestershire. [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/12215.html]

References