Dik Abed

Sulaiman 'Dik' Abed was a prolific allrounder in the 1960s, but had no chance to showcase his talent in the international stage because of South Africa's isolation as a result of Apartheid.

Abed was invited to join a team to visit Australia in 1971-72 but the government wouldn't allow a player of colour to be picked. In any chase, he had already declined the offer and the tour itself was cancelled owing to widespread protests.

At home, he played for the Western Province Cricket Board and was also a household name in the Lancashire Leagues in England, where he scored more than 5000 runs and took over 800 wickets. He later settled in Holland and captained them in the ICC Trophy Competition in England in 1982.

Abed was the youngest of five brothers, all of whom were extremely talented sportsmen. Gasant 'Tiny' Abed and Salie 'Lobo' Abed, were part of the SACBOC national side that toured East Africa under the captaincy of Basil d'Oliveira and also played a home series against the same team. A third brother, Goolam successfully pursued a rugby league career in England.

Abed died in January 2018 aged 73.