The South African cricket team toured England during the 1994 season. This was their first tour to England after the apartheid-inspired international sporting ban was rescinded. The team was led by Eastern Province's Kepler Wessels, who had returned to his native country after playing 24 Tests for Australia during the International ban years.
South Africa had made a promising start to their International return, drawing their two most recent series, home and away against Australia, and some talents had begun to emerge already. Allan Donald was already well known to English spectators from his extended and successful spell as Warwickshire's overseas player from 1987 onwards, and had spearheaded the South African attack with 63 Test wickets prior to this series, and Fanie de Villiers made a useful foil, having taken 22 wickets against the Australians, including 6−43 in the victory at Sydney. Andrew Hudson had emerged as a superb opener, racking up centuries against the West Indies and Australia and nine fifties in his short career. Jonty Rhodes had established himself as one of the top fielders in the world already, and had won over doubters of his batting with a never-say-die attitude, article by Vic Marks in The Observer, 26 June 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007. which characterised the whole team, even where outright ability was lacking. article by Martin Johnson in The Independent, 21 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007.
England had just completed a victorious series against New Zealand, but seemed flattered by the tourists reliance on a couple of key players. The South Africans would provide a much more useful yardstick of Ray Illingworth's management of the team, and there were still doubts over middle order batsmen Robin Smith and Graeme Hick and the strength of the bowling, despite Phillip DeFreitas's re-emergence. New caps Darren Gough and Craig White had looked promising against New Zealand, but had yet to be seriously tested.
The Test series was drawn 1−1, with South Africa starting very well and dominating the First Test before England recovered to level the series on the back of somewhat improved batting and the raw pace of Devon Malcolm, whose 9/57 in the second innings at The Oval earned him the nickname of "The Destroyer" in South Africa. The One-Day series was won more comfortably by the hosts, 2−0. The tourists' victory in the First Test was somewhat overshadowed by the controversy over ball tampering by England captain Michael Atherton, who was seen taking dirt from his pocket while fielding and using it to dry the ball.
Historical significance This was an historic time for South African sport as the national sporting teams made their way back into the International arena, and reminded viewers around the world of the country's sporting pedigree. The International Cricket Council (ICC) re-admitted South Africa to world cricket in July 1991, after 21 years during which the only significant exposure to South African cricket had been through "rebel" tours.
This was the cricket team's first tour to England since 1965, and tour manager Fritz Bing summed up the visitors' mood on arrival, noting that they returned to "the Mother Country not as rebels, beggars, or enemies, but as confident, happy children...we come proudly through the front door". Although there were no black cricketers in this tour party, the team enjoyed overwhelming support back home, with Jonty Rhodes being identified as a new hero among young black cricketers in South Africa. article by Glenn Moore in The Independent, 20 June 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007
South Africa's deputy president, Thabo Mbeki, flew to London for the First Test, and Dr Ali Bacher was feted at a Lord's Taverners dinner on the eve of the Test, where he gave a speech outlining the development plan for cricket in South Africa's townships. article by Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Daily Telegraph, 21 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007.
Despite all the media attention, Wessels was keen to keep the focus on cricket, rather than politics. "We're a more confident side now, though," he said the day before the First Test, "and no longer regard ourselves as newcomers. We have to look past the emotion of the occasion, but we have been involved in a few special occasions since our return to the fold, so we should be getting used to it by now."
Squads England South Africa Michael Atherton(c) Steve Rhodes (wk) Joey Benjamin John Crawley Phillip DeFreitas Neil Fairbrother Angus Fraser Darren Gough Graham Gooch Graeme Hick Devon Malcolm Ian Salisbury Alec Stewart Graham Thorpe Phil Tufnell Shaun Udal Craig White Kepler Wessels (c) David Richardson (wk) Hansie Cronje Daryll Cullinan Fanie de Villiers Allan Donald . Andrew Hudson Gary Kirsten Peter Kirsten Craig Matthews Brian McMillan Jonty Rhodes Tim Shaw Richard Snell Pat Symcox
Test series 1st Test
South Africa went into the historic match with four front-line seamers and no spinner, selecting the same side that had drawn their last test, with Australia. England made two changes from the drawn test with New Zealand, John Crawley coming into the side to make his debut at the expense of Robin Smith and Ian Salisbury replacing Peter Such as the side's spinner.
South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first on a flat-looking Lord's pitch, but after seeing off the initial burst from Phillip DeFreitas, Andrew Hudson fell to Darren Gough, and Hansie Cronje followed soon after to Angus Fraser. From 35/2, the tourists looked in a little trouble, but Gary Kirsten and captain Kepler Wessels (105) dug in and built obdurate innings, adding 106 before Kirsten (72) holed out to DeFreitas off Graeme Hick's bowling. Peter Kirsten was another Gough victim, caught behind by Steven Rhodes, and although Jonty Rhodes put on 75 with his skipper, both fell just before the close, leaving the honours relatively even at 244/6. Wessels' century was compiled in just under six hours and comprised 15 fours.
The second morning saw the South African lower order take the attack to the England bowlers, adding over a hundred for the last four wickets. Craig Matthews was the principal architect, striking 41 in just 36 balls. England's response started briskly, but not very successfully. Alec Stewart and captain Mike Atherton fell to the pace of Allan Donald, while Crawley edged Fanie De Villiers' swing to second slip. Hick and Graham Gooch consolidated, but both were dismissed in De Villiers' second spell and the rest of the lower-middle order followed quickly on the second evening. DeFreitas and then Gough dragged the score past the follow-on target, but couldn't inspire England to any heroics. Donald wrapped up both to finish with five wickets, diving forward to take a return catch to get rid of Gough, while Fraser was run out by Gary Kirsten trying to run a third, leaving Salisbury stranded having added just six in almost an hour.
South Africa lost Hudson early again in the second innings, but Cronje and Gary Kirsten made a solid start to the innings, though the third afternoon was something of a grind, the visitors adding just 62 and losing the two set batsmen. Hick and Salisbury both enjoyed significant turn, if fairly little success, picking up just one wicket each in the innings, but they bowled tidily and economically, with Hick eventually tempting a frustrated Gary Kirsten down the wicket, only to beat the edge and Steven Rhodes took a neat stumping. Salisbury picked up the captain's wicket just after tea, but Peter Kirsten (42) and Jonty Rhodes saw the team safely to the close. These two, and then when Gough ripped them out, Brian McMillan (39*) and Matthews, pushed the lead quickly up to 450 before Wessels declared when Matthews was out, leaving his bowlers five sessions to win the match.
It did not take that long - England's second innings lasted just under 46 overs. Atherton and Stewart saw off Donald's opening spell, but then fell to De Villiers and the two back-up seamers. Stewart managed to hold out for two hours for his 27, but Matthews took two wickets in two balls, and despite Gooch passing Viv Richards as the fourth-highest Test run scorer during his 28, nobody had answers to South Africa's bowlers. The fielding was kept tight, and each of the bowlers chipped in with wickets as the batting collapsed and the tourists marched to a dominant victory.
During the Test, former South African opening batsman Barry Richards bemoaned the lack of fight in the England team, commenting that "...it puzzles me why the new breed of England batsmen are failing to stamp their authority on an innings. People like Stewart and Hick have all the ability at Test level but they do not seem to want to grab the game by the scruff of its neck and say to the opposition bowlers: 'I'm here. Come and get me if you can.'". Article by Barry Richards in the Sunday Telegraph on 24 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 9 April 2007. meanwhile, in The Guardian, Mike Selvey praised the South African seamers, Article by Mike Selvey in The Guardian on 28 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 9 April 2007. and Scyld Berry singled out Fanie De Villiers' bowling on the second day as the turning point of the match, Article by Scyld Berry in The Sunday Telegraph on 24 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 9 April 2007. and the above commentators pointed out England's lack of success at the home of cricket and questioned the lack of a left-handed batsman in the eleven.
The England captain described his team's performance as "the worst under my captaincy". Article by Martin Johnson in The Independent, 25 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 9 April 2007.
The "dirt in pocket" controversy On the third day of the First Test, television footage showed England captain Mike Atherton apparently removing some substance from his pocket and rubbing it onto the ball, which could be construed as ball tampering. Atherton was summoned to see the Match Referee, Peter Burge, after play had finished for the day, and gave his explanation, which included a denial that he had used any substance to alter the condition of the ball at any time in his career. Atherton's darkest day, a retrospective report from BBC Sport from 28 August 2001, accessed on 9 April 2007.
When it later emerged that Atherton had dirt in his pocket that he had used to keep his fingers dry, Atherton recalled the conversation with the Match Referee thus:
"I did take my trousers to the meeting," he explained [in the press conference]. "He asked me if I had resin in my pocket; I replied 'no'. He asked me if there had been any other substance; I replied 'no'. That is where I made my mistake. I was thinking of other substances such as iron filings or Lipsyl. There was absolutely no other substance [apart from earth] in my pocket." Article by Christopher Martin-Jenkins in the Daily Telegraph, 31 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 9 April 2007.
Atherton was fined £2,000 by Chairman of Selectors Ray Illingworth for not being totally frank with the Match Referee, but retained the captaincy despite calls from some quarters for him to step down or be sacked, with Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam particularly vociferous on the topic, telling The Sun newspaper "Atherton has been caught red-handed. He has to be replaced. What more evidence do people want? It's just not acceptable behaviour from somebody who is supposed to be the leader of the team", while The Sun also published pictures that seemed to show Allan Donald lifting the seam of the ball. report compiled by Agence France-Presse, issued 28 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 9 April 2007.
2nd Test