Brian Bassano


Brian Sidney Bassano was a South African journalist and cricket historian.

Life and career

Bassano moved from South Africa to the UK in 1961, playing club cricket in England. He returned to South Africa in 1966 and became a journalist and a cricket commentator on SABC radio. With Donald Woods, he formed one of the first multiracial club teams in South Africa, the Rainbow Cricket Club in East London.
Bassano became a prolific historian of South Africa's international cricket up to 1970, and made a 30-part television history of South Africa's Test history from 1888 to 1970 for SABC. He moved to Australia in 1988. Several of his histories were published posthumously.
His son Chris played first-class cricket for Derbyshire and Tasmania.

Books

South Africa in International Cricket 1888–1970 1979The Best of South African Sport: Rob Armitage Benefit Year 1987 The West [Indian cricket team in Australia and New Zealand in 1930–31|West Indies in Australia 1930-31] 1990A Springbok Down Under: South African [cricket team in Australia in 1931–32|South Africa on Tour, 1931-32] 1991 Vic's Boys: Australia in South Africa 1935-36 1993South African Cricket: Vol. 4, 1947–1960 1996South Africa versus England: 106 Years of Test Match Glory 1996MCC in South Africa 1938-39 1997Aubrey Faulkner: His Record Innings by Innings 2001Mann's Men: MCC in South Africa 1922-23 2004The Visit of Mr W. W. Read's 1891-92 English Cricket Team to South Africa 2007Maiden Victory: The 1935 South African Tour of England 2012South African Test Cricketers 1888-89 – 1969-70 2022