THE COMING TOUR by West Indian cricketers to South Africa is being hailed as a great victory for that country's government. Propaganda coup it might be, but the storm around it vividly highlights the utter isolation of South Africa, rather than any re-integration into the international community.
tempt to break out of sporting isolation with huge sums of money.
cost of the tour has been underwritten by the South African government itself.
The sporting ban on South Africa has been extremely effective. Many in the nicked, New therand authorities of England, and Australia would love Lo play soum Amca, bu The tour is an act of desperation, an atThere is no doubt that the f3 million or so they know the price of so doing would be to split cricket down the middle the black countries refusplay HERe Wate Hence the tough attitude to players gomg to bowm Africa.
Since the top cricketers can now earn large sums of test cricket, South Africa's money inducements templ those just below test level or test cricketers coming to the end of their careers. Africans have been able to the South tempt a not-quite-England side, which duly thrashed by the Sprthe boredom of South African cricket fans, Lankan side which was also clobbered in front of emplo waner.
Now there is no doubt that the West Indian side contains players who would walk into the preent England team; even i Players like Lawrence Rowe and Bernard Julien would perform better than OT our heroes presently in Australia. Bu great standards it is a weak CLIC absence Holding, Lloyd, Roberts Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge and above all master-blaster Vivien Richards makes it second rate.
Of the rebel team onl Sylvester Clarke and Kalicharran had a good chance of playing in the West Indies cup squad next year.
Anv team without Vivien Richards is not the real West Indies team; but he is so well known for his determined antı-racısm that the South African probably didn't CVCLI bother to ask him Also emerging great credit from the affair is Clive Lloyd, West In dian captain, who attack ed the proposed tour with some venemence A sporting ban against South Africa is very effec tive because the white South Africans are great sports fans. They reckon they have one of the best cricket teams in the world. and you don't have to be pro-South African to a cept that leam Polive Rice are Barry Richards, Clive Vincent van de Bilj is extremely strong.
The individual South African cricketers reckon they've been hard done by - after all most of them have played in teams of black players.
But the way is now open to those players to play Test crickei provided they break with South Africa. Allan Lamb and Keppler Wessels (Australia) have done just that. No matter disclaim LOCISHI won't break with the apar theid state.
The West Indian cricketers have been banned for ite so should th English players who went to South Africa and the whole Sri Lankan team.
South Africa's radio ads announce *The West Indians are coming!'; but West indies nly an ersatz West Indies coming. And the fact that it will in all probability get soundly beaten only highlights the fact of South Africa's isolation.