Luke Alfred

When Amien Variawa took on the might of the Springboks

Remembering the Indian-origin batsman who played a star turn in a rare, forgotten friendly across colour lines in apartheid South Africa in 1961

04-Nov-2020•Luke Alfred

How Hansie rose and fell

Twenty years ago, a South African captain made a confession that would change cricket forever

07-Apr-2020•Luke Alfred

Remember when Britain was invaded?

Fifty years ago, the English domestic game underwent a revolution. Players who were part of it look back

12-Jul-2018•Luke Alfred

The other Morkel

He could have been South Africa's next big thing, but finally settled for being an IPL sensation

25-Mar-2018•Luke Alfred

Make a ton, get a tree

At the Wynberg Boys' High School ground in Cape Town, a lot of the greenery has basmen's names on it

21-Mar-2018•Luke Alfred

Hair-brained

Five South Africans who made us sit up and take notice with their questionable styling choices

07-Dec-2017•Luke Alfred

Schooling South Africa

The country's best cricketing talent comes from about 40 secondary schools, perpetuating an exclusionist attitude which quotas at higher levels can't counter

14-Aug-2017•Luke Alfred

The left-armer who went to war

Tufty Mann was a miserly spinner for South Africa, but before that he was a soldier and captive in World War Two

14-Jul-2017•Luke Alfred

'You just can't take things too seriously'

John Watkins, 94 today, and the oldest living Test cricketer, remembers his playing days for South Africa

10-Apr-2017•Luke Alfred

Charger, Ken, and a right royal battle down south

New Zealand's first tour of South Africa after readmission was a sharp, hard-fought one, featuring a dodgy pitch, much Castle-chugging, and eyebrows raised over umpiring

01-Mar-2017•Luke Alfred

'We probably had an easier time because we actually made the decision'

Former South African umpire Cyril Mitchley remembers his days on the circuit, giving Tendulkar run out at square leg and Atherton caught off the thigh pad

05-Feb-2017•Luke Alfred

When Sri Lanka went to cuckoo land

Tony Opatha led a rebel side to South Africa in 1982 - a tour on which a certain ill-suppressed madness lurked around the edges

01-Feb-2017•Luke Alfred

When Schultz slung 'em in

All pace and fire, Brett Schultz was a sight to behold, and South Africa's fiercest fast man - for all-too-short a while

20-Jan-2017•Luke Alfred

Ngumbela's bridge

Cricket is building links across the racial divide in rural South Africa

09-Jan-2017•Luke Alfred

'There's no wicket that's flat for a bowler'

Fighting spirit, hard work, and the unshaking support of his mother helped a young man from Langa leopard-crawl his way into the cricketing limelight

28-Dec-2016•Luke Alfred

The man who wouldn't say 'Mister'

Sid O'Linn's cricket career was possibly hampered by a rebellious streak, but given a chance to tour England, he got a divorce to ensure his selection

17-Dec-2016•Luke Alfred

Keaton Jennings emerges from his father's mould

The newest member of the England squad takes after his father, Ray Jennings, a man he got used to calling coach, not dad, early

05-Dec-2016•Luke Alfred

The hinge between South Africa's old and new

Courageous, selfless and cautious, Trevor Goddard was the link between notable eras for his team

28-Nov-2016•Luke Alfred

Happy 25th, South Africa

It's a quarter-century since their return to big cricket this month, and for all the magic they've produced, they've also displayed an ability to confound

14-Nov-2016•Luke Alfred

The Australian aura we never thought would shatter

In the early 2000s, South African fans couldn't imagine a world where Australia didn't pummel their side. But they live in it today

26-Oct-2016•Luke Alfred

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