Mike Gatting’s rebel cricket tour is curtailed

Negotiations between the National Sports Council (NSC) and the white South African Cricket Union (SACU) on the rebel cricket tour by Mike Gatting's England team, culminated in Dr Ali Bacher's statement on February 13, 1990. In the statement Bacher acknowledged that it was time to compromise and that the event had been overrun by the politics of the day. It also confirmed that the tour was divisive and had split the communities. He stated that SACU, which had organised the tour, had decided to shorten the tour 'to show its support for the dramatic political changes' announced by President De Klerk on 2 February 1990. An agreement between SACU and the NSC included reducing the number of games from seven to four and cancelling the second test match. It further entailed the cancellation of the second leg of the tour, which would have taken place early in the 1990-91 season. In return, NSC agreed not to hold protests at the remaining matches. Resistance against the tour was led by the National Sports Council (NSC), which was the sports wing of the United Democratic Front (UDF). The date of Bacher's announcement is given as 14 February in one source.