It had nothing to do with cricketing talent otherwise West Indians would not have been invited to play rebel cricket tours.
That was a ruthless regime that did not want races mixing unless they controlled the narrative of why whites should play non-whites.
SA never had the power to influence England , its the other way around.
I don't entirely agree with you KV.
When SA toured England 97 years ago KS Duleepsinhji,who would have been an automatic top five batting pick,was not selected after the first Test,deferring to the then de facto Apartheid operating in SA.
England touring sides to SA were "strongly instructed" not to comment on the Apartheid system or any aspect of SA politics.
Jim Laker later described an incident in which he was indirectly involved on the 56/57 tour to SA.He and Alan Oakman were being driven around a rural area.At a cross road their car collided with a cyclist and a dog and Laker considered that the accident was the fault of their driver.The only injuries were to the cyclist and the dog,both of whom were injured quite badly.The police were called as was a vet.Someone asked about calling help for the cyclist.The police attitude was "why bother".He was black.
That MCC wished to appease and give succour to South African cricket was partly class-cultural but was also because prominent MCC grandees had commercial interests in SA enterprises.
And little in cricket has ever matched the sycophancy of MCC to SA cricket in the sixties.Lord Douglas Home, former Prime Minister.and Lord Cobham had been in clandestine talks with South African politicians and cricket administrators to ascertain if Basil D'Oliviera would be an acceptable selection.They were warned off choosing him.And we all know what happened next!
I consider that England cricket administration,which was then primarily MCC,were happy to go along with SA requirements,influenced by commerce and class until,thankfully,the counter-culture of the sixties and the intrinsic fairness of what had previously been the silent majority succesfully reacted against that evil regime.
Hedonistic pleasures-----watching Pollock and Richards play Test cricket-----HAVE TO be given up for the greater good!
