Guest Speaker Dr Ali Bacher is renowned in the world of cricket and the legacy he left during his time in sport administration. His extraordinary career and contribution to cricket as a whole, particularly in the area of transformation, are known to avid cricket followers from all over the world.

Born in Roodepoort to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants in 1942, Aron “Ali” Bacher was a child prodigy who represented his province at the age of 17. According to biographer, Rodney Hartman, Ali was born to lead. And lead he did. In March 1965, at the same time that he was studying to be a doctor, Bacher was named a Springbok. He soon became Captain of the legendary 1969-70 test side that beat Australia and featured legends such as Graeme and Peter Pollock, Barry Richards and Mike Proctor. He would later recall: “I was blessed and privileged to captain what was probably the finest team South Africa has ever produced. Some of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen were in that team.” Sporting isolation meant that this team would never play in the International arena, and Ali retired from playing, spending the next decade practising as a medical doctor. it was during this time that he became one of the first ever bypass patients in South Africa, after a stress induced heart attack.

 

This prompted Ali's return to his first passion, where he embarked on an extraordinary 22 years as a cricket administrator, rising to managing director of the South African Cricket Union in the late 1980s. It was during this time that he spearheaded the expansion of the game in disadvantaged communities through coaching clinics and development programmes, arranged for the infamous “rebel tours”, was involved in the the unification of white and black cricket and the introduction of the Proteas to the global stage. In addition to this he managed the Hansie Cronje match-fixing saga as well as the hosting of the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Ali was at the heart of almost every memorable and historic occurrence in South African cricket from 1981 until 2003, which was a very complex time for the sport in South Africa.

Ali is married to Shira and they have two daughters and one son.

Guest Speaker Dr Ali Bacher is renowned in the world of cricket and the legacy he left during his time in sport administration. His extraordinary career and contribution to cricket as a whole, particularly in the area of transformation, are known to avid cricket followers from all over the world.

Born in Roodepoort to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants in 1942, Aron “Ali” Bacher was a child prodigy who represented his province at the age of 17. According to biograp