# Australian XI in South Africa in 1985–86

From November 1985 to February 1986, a representative team of Australian cricket players undertook a so-called "Rebel tour" to South Africa, to play a series of matches against the South African team. At the time, the International Cricket Conference had placed a moratorium on international cricket teams undertaking tours of the country, due to the South African government's policy of apartheid, leaving South Africa with no international competition.

## Background

During the 1980s, the International Cricket Conference (ICC) placed a ban on its members undertaking tours of South Africa in line with the international sporting community's overall boycott. As a means of obtaining quality opposition for the South African cricket team, groups of players from different countries had been approached privately by the governing body of cricket in South Africa to undertake so-called "rebel tours" of the country. The players that accepted the offer did so in the knowledge that they would likely receive significant sanctions from both their own country's governing body and the ICC. The first tour took place in 1982, when an English side spent four weeks in South Africa. Teams representing both Sri Lanka and the West Indies had subsequently made the trip before, in late 1985, the first Australian side was recruited to make a tour.

## Squads

| South Africa | Australian XI |
| Clive Rice (c) Ray Jennings (wk) Jimmy Cook Peter Kirsten Graeme Pollock Alan Kourie Garth Le Roux Stephen Jefferies Henry Fotheringham Roy Pienaar Tim Shaw Eric Simons Corrie van Zyl Hugh Page Kevin McKenzie Robert Bentley Ken McEwan Anthonie Ferreira Lee Barnard | Kim Hughes (c) Steve Rixon (wk) Greg Shipperd (wk) Terry Alderman John Dyson Peter Faulkner Mike Haysman Tom Hogan Rodney Hogg Trevor Hohns John Maguire Rod McCurdy Carl Rackemann Steve B. Smith Mick Taylor Graham Yallop |
The tour was organised by former Australian test batsman Bruce Francis at the behest of the South African cricket board, then led by Ali Bacher. Bacher had planned to invite an Australian team as early as December 1981, but it was July 1984 before Francis approached any players, and October of that year before a meeting was held to plan the tour.
Original players signed for the tour included:
* Batsmen – Graham Yallop, Steve Smith, Graeme Wood, Wayne B. Phillips, Andrew Hilditch, Dirk Wellham, John Dyson
* Fast bowlers – Terry Alderman, Carl Rackemann, John Maguire, Rod McCurdy, Rodney Hogg
* Spin bowlers – Tom Hogan, Murray Bennett
* All-rounder – Peter Faulkner
* Wicket-keeper – Steve Rixon
Several players seriously considered joining the tour, including David Hookes and Jeff Thomson, but demanded too much money. Other players were never considered, such as Geoff Lawson, Kim Hughes and Allan Border.
Out of the initial players to sign, only Peter Faulkner and Rod McCurdy (who had represented Australia only in One-Day Internationals) had never represented Australia in Test matches. Several were in the Australian team when they signed to go to South Africa and a number of these players were selected for the 1985 tour to England, including Wood, Phillips, Hilditch, Wellham, Alderman, Rixon, Bennett and Rackemann. News of the rebel tour broke before this squad left for England.

### Withdrawals

Murray Bennett pulled out of the tour after having second thoughts and being selected for Australia over the 1984–85 summer. Phillips, Wood and Wellham pulled out after a financial inducement from Kerry Packer; Packer also tried to get Steve Smith to change his mind but Smith refused. Hilditch also pulled out after being selected for the Australian team over the 84–85 summer.
Francis signed up several new players including Trevor Hohns, Greg Shipperd, Mick Taylor and Mike Haysman. The tour received its biggest boost in early 1985 when Kim Hughes, who had been dropped from the Australian team, met with Bacher and Francis, agreed to tour and captain the side.

## Matches

The tour was scheduled to last for three months, with the touring side arriving in South Africa in November 1985, and the last game scheduled for the start of February 1986. Included on the itinerary was a three match "Test" series and six one-day games, as well as seventeen tour matches against various provincial and other opponents.

### Tour matches
#### One-day matches against Country Districts teams

| Dates | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 9 November 1985 | Northern Transvaal Country Districts | Lowveld Country Club, Nelspruit | No Result |
| 10 November 1985 | Northern Transvaal Country Districts | Lowveld Country Club, Nelspruit | Australian XI won by 152 runs |
| 16 November 1985 | Orange Free State Country Districts | Harvinia Ground, Virginia | Australian XI won by 208 runs |
| 18 November 1985 | Transvaal Country Districts | Victory Park, Orkney | Australian XI won by 49 runs |

#### One-day matches
### Unofficial "Test" matches

The series of three "Test" matches was won 1–0 by South Africa, after the first two matches were drawn and the home team were victorious in the third. In the third match, the Australians were bowled out for 61 in their 2nd innings, while chasing 250 to win, when both Clive Rice and Garth Le Roux took hat-tricks. As of 2022, two bowlers taking a hat-trick in the same innings has never occurred in official Test matches. The players of the series were Carl Rackemann for Australia and Clive Rice for South Africa.

#### First "Test"

* 26–29 December 1985 Scorecard
* Match drawn Kingsmead, Durban Umpires: DH Bezuidenhout (SA) and OR Schoof (SA) Player of the match: RM Hogg, CG Rackemann, SJ Rixon (AUS), HR Fotheringham (SA)
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat

#### Second "Test"

* 1–4 January 1986 Scorecard
* Match drawn Newlands, Cape Town Umpires: DA Sansom (SA) and DD Schoof (SA) Player of the match: KJ Hughes, CG Rackemann (AUS), SJ Cook (SA)
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat

#### Third "Test"

* 16–21 January 1986 Scorecard
* South Africa won by 188 runs Wanderers, Johannesburg Umpires: DD Schoof (SA) and OR Schoof (SA) Player of the match: SJ Rixon, CG Rackemann (AUS), KA McKenzie (SA)
* Australia won the toss and elected to field

### One-day series

There were six one-day matches: the Australians started well by winning the first two games, but the South Africans recovered and ultimately won the series 4–2.

#### First match

* 24 January 1986 Scorecard
| Australian XI 197/5 (50 overs) | v | South Africa 151 (41.5 overs) |
| J Dyson 57 CEB Rice 3/28 (10 overs) | | RM Bentley 35 TG Hogan 3/25 (9.5 overs) |
* Australian XI won by 46 runs Wanderers, Johannesburg Umpires: FE Wood (SA) and OR Schoof (SA) Player of the match: SB Smith, MD Haysman (AUS), CEB Rice (SA)
* Australian XI won the toss and elected to bat

#### Second match

* 26 January 1986 Scorecard
| South Africa 221/6 (50 overs) | v | Australian XI 224/6 (49.3 overs) |
| CEB Rice 91 TM Alderman 3/28 (10 overs) | | SB Smith 70 HA Page 2/33 (10 overs) |
* Australian XI won by 4 wickets Kingsmead, Durban Umpires: LJ Rautenbach (SA) and DA Sansom (SA) Player of the match: SB Smith, MD Haysman (AUS), CEB Rice (SA)
* Australian XI won the toss and elected to bat

#### Third match

* 28 January 1986 Scorecard
| South Africa 223/9 (50 overs) | v | Australian XI 151 (40.1 overs) |
| CEB Rice 78* CG Rackemann 3/39 (10 overs) | | MD Taylor 43 GS Le Roux 5/13 (8.1 overs) |
* South Africa won by 72 runs St George's Park, Port Elizabeth Umpires: DH Bezuidenhout (SA) and DD Schoof (SA) Player of the match: MD Taylor (AUS), GS Le Roux, CEB Rice (SA)
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat

#### Fourth match

* 30 January 1986 Scorecard
| South Africa 234/9 (50 overs) | v | Australian XI 210 (49 overs) |
| CEB Rice 44 TM Alderman 3/30 (10 overs) | | KJ Hughes 60 CEB Rice 4/45 (10 overs) |
* South Africa won by 24 runs Newlands, Cape Town Umpires: LJ Rautenbach (SA) and OR Schoof (SA) Player of the match: TM Alderman, KJ Hughes (AUS), SJ Cook (SA)
* South Africa won the toss and elected to bat

#### Fifth match

* 1 February 1986 Scorecard
| Australian XI 185/7 (49 overs) | v | South Africa 189/5 (39.4 overs) |
| GN Yallop 42 AM Ferreira 3/31 (10 overs) | | HR Fotheringham 43 JN Macguire 2/54 (10 overs) |
* South Africa won by 5 wickets Wanderers, Johannesburg Umpires: DH Bezuidenhout (SA) and FE Wood (SA) Player of the match: G Shipperd (AUS), AM Ferreira, CEB Rice (SA)
* South Africa won the toss and elected to field
* Match reduced to 49 overs per side

#### Sixth match

* 5 February 1986 Scorecard
| Australian XI 272/6 (50 overs) | v | South Africa 273/4 (48.2 overs) |
| J Dyson 115 AM Ferreira 2/52 (10 overs) CEB Rice 2/54 (10 overs) | | CEB Rice 95* CG Rackemann 2/52 (10 overs) |
* South Africa won by 6 wickets Berea Park, Pretoria Umpires: LJ Rautenbach (SA) and OR Schoof (SA) Player of the match: CG Rackemann (AUS), KS McEwan, CEB Rice (SA)
* South Africa won the toss and elected to field

## Aftermath

The series was highly controversial in Australia and its Australian participants were banned from interstate cricket for two seasons and international cricket for three seasons. Many of the players returned to South Africa for a second tour the following year.
Alderman, Rixon, Rackemann, Maguire and McCurdy lost their chance to tour England in 1985 by sticking to their agreement to tour South Africa.