FUND-raising has started to erect a statue of Worcestershire cricket legend Basil D’Oliveira to feature as part of the grand entrance to the County’s redeveloped New Road home.

The newly-created Basil D’Oliveira Foundation is hoping to secure around £70,000 to commission a bronze sculpture of the former Worcester and England all-rounder, which would provide a fitting reminder of his legacy to the club.

As well as the statue, the foundation, whose patrons are Sir Ian Botham, Sir Michael Parkinson and Sir Mervyn King, also aims to establish a regular exchange system for promising young cricketers between South Africa and the United Kingdom.

D’Oliveira’s son Damian, who is the academy director at New Road, said: “It is hard to get away from it as our family has been a part of Worcestershire County Cricket Club for nearly 50 years now — I come in every day and see my father’s name on the stand and hopefully soon I’ll be able to drive along New Road and see his face too.

“It is so many years since my father arrived here, but people have long memories and always come up to us to speak about him. We will be very honoured if the statue goes ahead.”

He added: “The exchange programme would be fantastic and we’d like to set up a link with St Augustine’s Cricket Club in Cape Town, which is where my grandfather, my father, myself and even my son Brett have all played.

“It would help their cricketers and it would also help our boys in the academy. “If I could get a guy over there each year for a season in the winter, that would be fantastic.”

Chairman of the foundation Norman Gifford, a close friend and former Worcestershire team-mate of Basil, added: “When Damian talked to me about the foundation, I immediately thought it was a good idea — a fitting tribute to the chap.

“What he did in cricket was outstanding, not to mention the way he did it. We have to raise the money for the statue itself, but if we can do really well, we’d like to be able to work with young cricketers.”

One of the foundation’s co-founders, Howard Nicholls, explained a happy coincidence that came about in the process of appointing John McKenna as the sculptor to deliver the statue.

He said: “I rang John and outlined our plans, only to be informed by the amazed sculptor that, although he lived in Scotland now, he was born and bred in Worcester and actually went to primary school with Damian. The sculptor was found!”