Barry Knight, a bustling medium-pace bowler and attacking batsman, unwittingly became involved in one of the most controversial events in cricket. He believed he had been chosen for england’s 1968 tour of South Africa, only to have to drop out owing to injury. His place was taken by Basil D’Oliveira, who would be returning to the country of his birth, a selection which proved unacceptable to the governing National Party on account of its apartheid policy.In the racial classification of the time, D’Oliveira was a Cape Coloured, ineligible to play for South Africa and regarded as a provocative choice to play against them. The tour was called off and in due course South Africa were banned from international cricket. “I was astonished to get the call ahead of Basil as, after all, he had just played an innings that had set up a vital win that squared the Ashes series,” Knight said.Knight himself had been a replacement for another injured all rounder, Tom Cartwright, and experienced only one more year of Test cricket before emigrating to Australia when he was 31. He bowled with some success against the West Indies in 1969, dismissing the great Garry Sobers three times in three Tests, but had suffered business failures, resulting in an attempt to kill himself, and in addition had disagreements with Leicestershire, his second county, as well as with Essex, which he left in 1966. These had made MCC wary of selecting him for South africa.

“I invested £1,250 – every cent I possessed – into a chain of male boutiques. In the end I was forced into liquidation. The debts were enormous. Everywhere I turned there were writs and demands for money,” he told the News of the World in 1968.” My marriage was on the rocks. One day I realised there was a way out.” Knight separated from his wife, emigrated to Australia, married a singer he first set eyes on in My Fair Lady and embarked on a triumphant second career as the first professional coach in the country.

Knight was a confident batter but struggled against the pace of Test players.

CLAUDE PARNALL/ANL/SHUTTERSTOCK

Given that Knight had a good relationship with Ray Illingworth,

Colin Cowdrey’s All-Rounder: A Look Back at David Knight

David Knight burst onto the Test scene with a remarkable performance, claiming the last three wickets in Australia’s first innings during the 1962-63 series. Despite this success, he was surprisingly dismissed for a duck and dropped for the remainder of the matches. Wisden noted he lacked the pace and movement to consistently challenge top batsmen on favorable pitches.

He quickly proved them wrong. Knight returned for the first Test in New Zealand, scoring a brilliant 125 – one of his two Test centuries. He forged a then-record sixth-wicket partnership of 240 runs with Peter Parfitt and secured nine wickets across the three matches.

His time wasn’t without controversy. Upon returning to england, a portion of his good conduct bonus was withheld due to accepting generous Australian hospitality. He toured India again in 1963-64, adding another Test century to his tally, but his six wickets came at a costly average of 59.50 each.

Despite consistent excellence in county cricket – achieving the notable feat of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets in a season four times – Knight’s Test appearances became sporadic. He championed aggressive cricket, famously questioning Geoffrey Boycott about the monotony of slow scoring. Boycott’s dry reply? “No, not at all, as out there I don’t have to talk to idiots like you, do I?”

Knight’s charm extended beyond the cricket field. He was known for his stylish appearance and lively social life. As Robin Hobbs noted in his obituary (march 26, 2024), “You couldn’t help but like him, he was a showman who had all manner of women around him.”