Basil D'Oliveira - Career

Career

With the support of John Arlott, 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.