England's South African XI

Allan Lamb

Allan Lamb was a great player of fast bowling

Born in 1954 to British parents in Langebaanweg region of South Africa, Allan Lamb like many other cricketers of his generation had to move to England to fulfil his dream of playing international cricket due to the racist apartheid movement prevalent in South Africa.

After impressing in the county circuit for four seasons, Lamb got selected to play for England in 1982 and across a 13-year long career, played 79 Tests and 122 ODIs. He was a much more effective batsman against pace bowling, as is evident from his six centuries out of a total 22 coming against the West Indies' bowling attack of the 1980s.

Spin proved to be his nemesis, resulting in a career average of 36 that did not justify his potential as a talented batsman. His most famous victory remains the one e achieved for England in an ODI versus Australia in 1987 when he smashed 18 runs off the last 5 balls to take England past the finish line.