Long before the likes of Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott made it fashionable for South African born players to turn out for England, there was one, who paved the way for the mass exodus of talent from the rainbow nation.
Enter Allan Lamb.
Diminutive yet destructive. Belligerent yet almost balletic in his technique and timing. There aren't many who have seen him play and haven't waxed lyrical about his ability to score runs and take the game to the opposition.
While there have been plenty of instances where this has been the case, one of the best examples came against Sri Lanka in the 1987 World Cup.
76 days to go before World Cup 2019, here is a look at his 76 in England's final group game.
Google 'Allan Lamb 1987' and the first thing that pops up is his incredible final over heroics against Australia where he scored 18 to win England the game.
As impressive as that was, his 76 against Sri Lanka doesn't get the credit it deserves, despite the knock securing England's spot in the semi-final of the World Cup.
One look at the best strike rates in a World Cup knock of more than 75, reveals a startling statistic. Among the top 40, only two have been before the 1992 World Cup.
One of them is Viv Richards' incredible 181 against Sri Lanka on 13 October 1987. The other, Allan Lamb's 58-ball 76.
Any time you are in the same league as Viv, you have done something right and Lamb certainly has.
And at Peshawar, Lamb certainly did plenty right. Coming in with England well placed at 142/2, Lamb took the game away from the Lions courtesy of a masterful knock.
While he ended it with a strike rate of over 130, what is particularly noteworthy was the fact that he hit just three fours and two sixes.
Lamb's timing was simply stunning against Sri Lanka, where he picked the gaps at will and continued to rotate the strike whenever he wasn't hitting boundaries.
Eventually, England finished with 296/4, which was too much for Sri Lanka, who lost the rain-affected game by 108 runs.