A WORCESTERSHIRE batsman, who will forever be remembered as the 'Cape-coloured' man who unwittingly found himself at the centre of the Apartheid row, has been awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

South African-born Basil D'Oliveira was left out of the 1968 England winter touring squad going to the African country for 'cricketing reasons', despite smashing 158 for his adopted nation against Australia that same summer.

The decision smacked of a conspiracy at Government level to keep out D'Oliveira to make the squad racially 'acceptable' to South Africa's apartheid regime.

However, an injury to Tom Cartwright meant England could no longer overlook 'Dolly' and he was selected by the MCC to tour.

The South African Cricket Board objected to having this change and, after a month of deadlock, England withdrew from the tour.

The incident exposed to the world the level of prejudice among the South African government of the time and in sporting terms the country was banned until the dismantling of the apartheid state began in 1990.

Now 74-year-old D'Oliveira is to add a CBE to his list of achievements - having already been given an OBE.

The right-handed batsman and medium-pace bowler is now in a nursing home in Worcester and suffers from Parkinson disease.

He was unable to talk to the Worcester News about the honour, but his son Damian, who coaches at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, spoke on his behalf.

"This is a great honour for dad and the latest in a long list of achievements," he said.

"Dad's cricketing skills spoke for themselves, but as many people will know him for being instrumental in the fall of the apartheid rule.

"It is wonderful that dad is getting recognition from both these things in the Queen's birthday honours.

"Unfortunately, he is not well enough to go to London to collect the CBE, but Buckingham Palace has said it will send someone to Worcester to give it to him.

"We don't know when this will be yet."

At Worcestershire's New Road home he has been immortalised by the recently-built Basil D'Oliveira Stand, while he also has the honour of being name-checked in Fawlty Towers by semi-permanent hotel guest, the batty old Major.

"Ah! D'Oliveira made a hundred!"

"Did he? Did he really?" asks the harassed Basil Fawlty.

"Good for him, good old Dolly."