5 biggest controversies in English cricket

#2 Rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980s

Graham Gooch

Following the Basil D’Oliveira affair ahead of England’s tour to the country back in 1968-69, South Africa had become a pariah of world cricket due to their stance of apartheid. However, the South African public and their administrators were eager for international cricketers to play in the country. Since official teams were not going to play South Africa anywhere, they offered teams from some countries large amounts of money to visit the country on ‘rebel tours’ and play against their team.

The first to take up that offer were a group of top English cricketers, who took the large sums of money and took a ‘rebel’ England side to South Africa. It was led by Graham Gooch and the team played in the country, despite the boycott that had been placed on South Africa for their treatment of coloured sportspersons.

The England team were criticised widely not only by their own press but by press from all over the world and what made it particularly galling was that another group of cricketers went on a rebel tour in 1989. It remains one of the most controversial episodes in England’s cricket history.