[2] As a result, it was agreed among the governing bodies of a number of sports to introduce a moratorium on all international touring of South Africa.

[5] At the end of the 1981 season, the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) learned that one of the England selectors, John Edrich, was planning a small scale tour, which was called off when warnings were issued that anyone on such a venture would be punished.

Although some players, most notably Botham and Gower, elected to withdraw from any proposed trip, largely due to financial considerations, others, such as Gooch, expressed a keen interest in going.

Gooch said that at the time he felt bored during the tour of India, and saw a trip to South Africa, in addition to being lucrative, as a way to invigorate his game.

[9][10][11] The tour was scheduled to last for four weeks, with a three match "Test" series and three "One-Day Internationals", plus another two games, against South African Colts and Western Province.

Of the fifteen players that made the trip, only two, Graham Gooch and John Emburey, returned from their bans to play any major part with the England team.