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Paul Yule

Not Cricket: The Basil D'Oliveira Conspiracy

20/06/2004

The Basil D'Oliveira Conspiracy

BBC Four - Not Cricket, The Basil D'Oliveira Conspiracy

The scandal that surrounded the South African cricketer Basil D'Oliveira in 1968.

This film tells the full story of the D'Oliveira scandal, explaining the critical political role that cricket played in bringing about the fall of apartheid in South Africa.

With explosive new evidence this film tells the full story of the D'Oliveira scandal, explaining the critical political role that cricket played in bringing about the fall of apartheid in South Africa.

In 1968, Basil D'Oliveira, a brilliant 'coloured' cricketer from South Africa who had made his home in the UK, found himself at the centre of a row that rocked the English political and sporting establishment. Excluded from the England team to tour South Africa - apparently because of his race - the 'D'Oliveira Affair' led directly to the sporting isolation of South Africa, which became crucial in bringing about the fall of the apartheid system of white rule in South Africa. 

Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous events of 1968, this documentary tells the story of  Basil D'Oliveira and his betrayal by the English establishment, as D'Oliveira himself speaks out for the first time.

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