One of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ on South Africa tour in ‘82

GEOFFREY Boycott was part of the “Dirty Dozen” 1982 rebel English cricket side that toured apartheid-era South Africa.

The country was banned from international cricket but the team were offered large sums of money to take part.

Boycott was joined by stars including Graham Gooch, Peter Willey, Bob Woolmer, John Emburey and Alan Knott.

The trip, with three Tests and three one-day matches, brought global outrage.

Politicians in the House of Commons also reacted with dismay at their actions and Labour leader-to-be Neil Kinnock branded the squad “the Dirty Dozen”.

The unofficial England side – known as the South African Breweries XI – expected little more than a slap on the wrist from the International Cricket Council.

But players were handed three-year bans from international cricket – and it ended Boycott’s playing career. Only

Gooch and Emburey were able to continue their international cricketing careers after the tour.

In the matches themselves, the side was well below the standard of the main Test team and lost the series.

Ian Botham had refused to go on the tour, later saying: “I could never have looked my mate Viv Richards in the eye.”

Emburey also took part in a 1989 tour of South Africa before apartheid ended.