RIP Dolly

The death was announced today of Basil D’Oliveira. The world has changed so much (on the whole for the better, IMO) that it’s sometimes hard to remember that within my own lifetime the UK still had capital punishment, homosexuality was illegal and a ‘coloured’ man was not allowed into South Africa to play cricket for England. For once in its history the English cricket authorities made the right decision and cancelled the tour. I have no time for the English players who later took part in ‘rebel tours’. It’s a pity D’Oliveira is best remembered for the 1968 furore because he was a lovely player and by all accounts a nice man. Telegraph obituary here.