Full Name

Basil Lewis D'Oliveira

Born

October 04, 1931, Signal Hill, Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa

Died

November 19, 2011, England, (aged 80y 46d)

Nicknames

Dolly, Bas

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Medium

Playing Role

Allrounder

RELATIONS

I D'Oliveira

(brother),

DB D'Oliveira

(son),

BL D'Oliveira

(grandson),

MD D'Oliveira

(grandson),

DJ D'Oliveira

(grandson)

Other

Coach

One of broadcaster-writer John Arlott's most worthy deeds was saving Basil D'Oliveira from half-life as a Cape Colored in South Africa by persuading Middleton, the Central Lancashire League club, to take him on as their professional in 1960. This led to Worcestershire (in 1964) and England (in 1966) acquiring a readymade allrounder of formidable physical and mental strength, which was never better illustrated than when England were in trouble. Arlott's initiative was the making of D'Oliveira, and a source of joy to all who loathed apartheid. When you watched "Dolly" flaying the opposition's bowlers with meaty back-foot clumps, or frustrating their batsmen with outward-drifting medium-pace of cloying accuracy (his economy rate in Tests was 1.95 runs per over) there was one sharp regret ... if only he'd been spotted at 19 rather than 29. Then D'Oliveira would have put the runs and wickets in the book that would have shown future generations what he unmistakably was - one of cricket's greats.
John Thicknesse

Career Averages
Batting & Fielding
FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Test44708248415840.06--515-14290
ODI441301710.004369.76003010
FC367575911949022740.26--45101--2150
List A18717120377010224.96--219--440
Bowling
FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Test446657061859473/465/6239.551.95121.4000
ODI4420414031/191/1946.664.1168.0000
FC367-41079151265516/29-27.452.2074.5-172
List A187-789244781905/265/2623.563.4041.5610
Basil D'Oliveira portrait
Explore Statsguru Analysis
Test
ODI
Debut/Last Matches - Player
Photos
Basil D'Oliveira by Peter Oborne
Basil D'Oliveira looks out over Cape Town
The Worcestershire squad to play Kent in a John Player's League match in Canterbury. Standing (from left): Ivan Johnson, Rodney Cass, John Parker, John Inchmore, Imran Khan, Jim Yardley. Sitting: Glenn Turner, Basil D'Oliveira, Norman Gifford, Alan Ormrod and Brian Brain
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil D'Oliveira, Ray Illingworth, Derek Underwood, Brian Luckhurst, John Snow, John Edrich and Alan Knott look on after losing to India
Basil D'Oliveira is caught and bowled by Clive Lloyd for 110