Those rebel tours of South Africa....

[mikesiva]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/co ... 86356.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mikesiva]

'1 Gatting’s rebel England tour to South Africa, 1990 - In the sole “Test” played by Mike Gatting’s side against South Africa they were rolled over in three days. They also lost the one-day series 3-1 and the tour was a financial disaster for the organisers, if not the players, who were well rewarded by the apartheid government. It was not, though, about what happened on the field. Nelson Mandela was freed during the tour – “Nelson Mandela? He can’t bowl, can he?” replied Bill Athey when asked about his release – and protests surrounded the side from the moment they touched down in Johannesburg. Gatting dismissed the airport protesters as a “few people singing and dancing”. But that was only the start. Black hotel staff refused to serve the tourists and thousands turned up to demonstrate at matches. The tour was cut short. “They disgraced their country and their sport,” declared the Daily Mirror. “In hindsight,” said John Emburey, “it was a tour that shouldn’t have taken place.”'

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cric ... rnalSearch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MarcusGarveyLives]

I think that you will find that a number of the members of the English mercenar - sorry - "rebels" who participated in the pro-Apartheid tours now occupy positions of prominence in English cricket administration or the English cricket media.

[Gils]

The same Bill Athey who now comes to the Caribbean armed with a scholarship during the 1st class season, with a mind to cherry picking talented cricketers for England.