The D'Oliveira affair
Basil D'Oliveira, the man who was the centre of the infamous controversy christened ' The D'Oliveira affair', was born today.
Lets take a look at the man, courtesy the wonderful writer Frank Keating.
It was the second of those five centuries which engraved his name into history's permanence. Basil's epic, enriching, 158 in the final Ashes Test against the 1968 Australians at the Oval was scored on the eve of England's winter tour to, of all benighted places, South Africa. "The D'Oliveira Affair" was born. Before he strode out to bat, he rang Naomi: "Pull up a chair, love, put on the telly and enjoy it; I'm going to be at the crease all day." When he ran the single to complete his 50, the bowler's end umpire Charlie Elliott muttered to Basil: "Well done but by golly, lad, you're really scaring those buggers at Lord's." When he completed his century and Kennington rose to cheer, Elliott added: "Brilliant, m'boy, but, oh dear, you've set the cat among the ruddy pigeons now."
Lets take a look at the man, courtesy the wonderful writer Frank Keating.
It was the second of those five centuries which engraved his name into history's permanence. Basil's epic, enriching, 158 in the final Ashes Test against the 1968 Australians at the Oval was scored on the eve of England's winter tour to, of all benighted places, South Africa. "The D'Oliveira Affair" was born. Before he strode out to bat, he rang Naomi: "Pull up a chair, love, put on the telly and enjoy it; I'm going to be at the crease all day." When he ran the single to complete his 50, the bowler's end umpire Charlie Elliott muttered to Basil: "Well done but by golly, lad, you're really scaring those buggers at Lord's." When he completed his century and Kennington rose to cheer, Elliott added: "Brilliant, m'boy, but, oh dear, you've set the cat among the ruddy pigeons now."
posted by Sriram Veera at 3:39 AM
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