CRICKET

Basil D'Oliviera (England)
Born in Cape Town, Basil D’Oliviera, because of the policies of South Africa’s apartheid government, was forced to move to England to pursue a career in cricket. After making his Test debut at age 35, he ended up playing 44 tests for his adopted country, scoring 2 484 runs at the very respectable average of 40.06. When he was selected for England’s tour of South Africa in 1968/9, South Africa’s government declared D’Oliviera unwelcome in the country; it would be 25 years before South Africa and England again did battle on the cricket field. In January 2000 he returned to Cape Town as one of the finalists for South Africa’s Cricketer of Century. Although he didn’t win – that honour went to Graeme Pollock – D’Oliviera was accorded a rousing welcome from a capacity crowd when for the first time in his life he walked onto the Newlands Cricket Ground.

Graeme Pollock (South Africa)
The owner of the second highest batting average in Test cricket history, Graeme Pollock is rated by many as the finest left-handed batsman to ever play the game. A hugely talented player, he made batting look easy and the power he generated from his effortless strokes was indeed a sight to behold. Pollock showed his greatness when the chips were down, often batting his best when others were struggling. His effort of 125 out of a South African total of 160 on a very difficult wicket at Trent Bridge in 1965 rates as one of the finest Test innings ever. Unfortunately, Pollock’s Test career was restricted to just 23 matches, but in that time he scored 2 256 runs at an average of 60.97. He was voted South Africa’s Cricketer of the Century in 2000.

FORMULA ONE

Jody Scheckter (South Africa)
Jody Scheckter became South Africa’s only Formula One world champion in 1979, driving a Ferrari to the title. It was a fast rise to the top for the young man from East London. He joined Formula One in 1972 at age 22, racing just once for McLaren. He subsequently drove for Tyrell and Wolf – finishing as high as third in the World Championship – before joining Ferrari in 1979 and going on to win the world title. He retired the following year. Amazingly, following Scheckter’s success in 1979 it was 21 years before Ferrari again claimed the driver’s title. His career in Formula One included 10 victories, one of them a win in front of his home fans in the South African Grand Prix of 1975.

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	A youthful Jody Scheckter at the wheel of his McLaren Formula One car

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