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The South African cricket team toured England during the 1994 season. This was their first tour to England after the apartheid-inspired international sporting ban was rescinded. The team was led by Eastern Province's Kepler Wessels, who had returned to his native country after playing 24 Tests for Australia during the International ban years. South Africa had made a promising start to their International return, drawing their two most recent series, home and away against Australia, and some talents had begun to emerge already. Allan Donald was already well-known to English spectators from his extended and successful spell as Warwickshire's overseas player from 1987 onwards, and had spearheaded the South African attack with 63 Test wickets prior to this series, and Fanie de Villiers made a useful foil, having taken 22 wickets against the Australians, including 6−43 in the victory at Sydney. Andrew Hudson had emerged as a superb opener, racking up centuries against the West Indies and Australia and nine fifties in his short career. Jonty Rhodes had established himself as one of the top fielders in the world already, and had won over doubters of his batting with a never-say-die attitude,〔() article by Vic Marks in ''The Observer'', 26 June 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007.〕 which characterised the whole team, even where outright ability was lacking.〔() article by Martin Johnson in ''The Independent'', 21 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007.〕 England had just completed a victorious series against New Zealand, but seemed flattered by the tourists reliance on a couple of key players. The South Africans would provide a much more useful yardstick of Ray Illingworth's management of the team, and there were still doubts over middle order batsmen Robin Smith and Graeme Hick and the strength of the bowling, despite Phillip DeFreitas's re-emergence. New caps Darren Gough and Craig White had looked promising against New Zealand, but had yet to be seriously tested. The Test series was drawn 1−1, with South Africa starting very well and dominating the First Test before England recovered to level the series on the back of somewhat improved batting and the raw pace of Devon Malcolm, whose 9/57 in the second innings at The Oval earned him the nickname of "The Destroyer" in South Africa.〔 The One-Day series was won more comfortably by the hosts, 2−0. The tourists' victory in the First Test was somewhat overshadowed by the controversy over ball tampering by England captain Michael Atherton, who was seen taking dirt from his pocket while fielding and using it to dry the ball. ==Historical significance== This was an historic time for South African sport as the national sporting teams made their way back into the International arena, and reminded viewers around the world of the country's sporting pedigree. The International Cricket Council (ICC) re-admitted South Africa to world cricket in July 1991, after 21 years during which the only significant exposure to South African cricket had been through "rebel" tours. Graham Gooch, who led the rebel tour in 1982, which resulted in a three-year ban from international cricket for the former England captain, commented on the unsanctioned visits: "I have no regrets. At the time the South Africans saw the tour as a way of keeping cricket strong...I wouldn't like to say whether it changed anything one way or the other...All I can say now is that I'm pleased they are back on the big stage."〔() article by Peter Johnson in ''Daily Mail'', 21 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007.〕 This was the cricket team's first tour to England since 1965, and tour manager Fritz Bing summed up the visitors' mood on arrival, noting that they returned to "the Mother Country not as rebels, beggars, or enemies, but as confident, happy children...we come proudly through the front door". Although there were no black cricketers in this tour party, the team enjoyed overwhelming support back home, with Jonty Rhodes being identified as a new hero among young black cricketers in South Africa.〔() article by Glenn Moore in ''The Independent'', 20 June 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007〕 South Africa's deputy president, Thabo Mbeki, flew to London for the First Test, and Dr Ali Bacher was feted at a Lord's Taverners dinner on the eve of the Test, where he gave a speech outlining the development plan for cricket in South Africa's townships.〔() article by Christopher Martin-Jenkins in ''The Daily Telegraph'', 21 July 1994, accessed from Cricinfo.com on 5 April 2007.〕 Despite all the media attention, Wessels was keen to keep the focus on cricket, rather than politics. "We're a more confident side now, though," he said the day before the First Test, "and no longer regard ourselves as newcomers. We have to look past the emotion of the occasion, but we have been involved in a few special occasions since our return to the fold, so we should be getting used to it by now."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「South African cricket team in England in 1994」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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