The man who helped destroy apartheid

The Economist looks at the life of Basil D'Oliveira, and the enormous support he received from fans after being dropped for the 1968 tour to South Africa. He received so many letters that the post office had to employ separate staff to just to deal with them.

Soon attention was focused on England’s scheduled tour of South Africa in 1968-69. Mr D’Oliveira was desperate to return to his homeland. He was a hero among the country’s blacks and coloureds and wanted to prove that he rightfully belonged on the cricket grounds from which he had been banned. As if to dispel any doubt, in the last game before the squad was announced, he scored a wonderful 158 to help England beat Australia.

And here's how their South African correspondent reported the events in 1968.