Cricket tour of S.A. called off

Press, 11 October 1982, Page 3

Cricket tour of S.A. called off

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg South Africa has called off its plan to invite a teststrength Sri Lankan team for an eight-week tour in an attempt to end its isolation from international cricket. The president of the South African Cricket Union, Mr Joe Pamensky, blamed what he called undue pressure from the Sri Lankan Government on the country’s international cricketers ’ for the tour's cancellation. “We made the decision to abort the tour after the Sri Lankan Government announced it would impound the players' passports. We have been in touch with the players and they informed us their passports have been impounded/ he said. Mr Pamensky said the union had in its possession contracts signed in Sri Lanka

by all the proposed touring party of 14 players and a player-manager. He declined to identify the players, but said all but one had" played international cricket for Sri Lanka in the past 18 months and seven had toured India last month. Mr Pamensky said the proposed tour would have lasted from October 19 to December 10 and would have included two four-day tests, four or five one-ddy limitedover internationals and a number of other matches against provincial and invitation sides. South Africa has been boycotted by the world’s cricketing nations since 1970 because of its racial policies and the proposed tour, had it taken place, would have been certain to cause an international uproar.