The bespectacled Barlow was both a popular and easily recognisable figure in South African cricket from the 1960s onwards.

According to Louis Duffus, Barlow "did more than anyone else to break down the timid defensive tactics which for so many years kept South Africa a second-rate cricket country".

A stand at Newlands Cricket Ground was to have been named after Barlow but due to opposition from some of the voting clubs it has been "put on hold".

Instead, when Tony Pithey reached his half-century shortly afterwards, the England players went overboard in their congratulations to him, seemingly to make a point about Barlow's behaviour.

The local South African papers attacked England for this, and later in the same match, English batsman Ken Barrington caused a greater furore when he walked despite not being given out by the same umpire that had not given Barlow out.

Barlow was signed up for both the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons in which the tournament ran, and captained the WSC Cavaliers side which played in many non-SuperTest matches.

He had already stood for the liberal Progressive Federal Party at a parliamentary election for the Simonstown seat in 1980, losing by only 1000 votes.

In 1996 he acquired a wine farm in the Robertson region of the Western Cape which he named "Windfall" because he and his wife considered they bought it at a good price.

He was then invited to become the national coach of Bangladesh in 1999 and helped put together the plans that enabled the country to achieve official Test status the following year.