BRIDGETOWN- Former West Indies fast bowler Colin Croft hopes the International Cricket Council goes all the way and confers first-class status to all matches of the rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980s.
The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of chief executives of the ICC's member and associate nations in Johannesburg on September 10 and 11.
Recommendations from that meeting are expected to be approved by the ICC's executive board.
"They have conferred official status on the matches they played in Australia during the ICC Super Series, so if you have to confer anything on these matches in South Africa they must also consider the One-day Internationals and the Tests," Croft told CMC Radio Sports on Thursday.
"I would humbly suggest that they have not gone far enough if they would not confer official status on the international matches too. If we played Tests and ODIs against a side representative of South Africa in the 1980s, they have to go all the way and give it Test status or nothing."
Croft also believes the ICC should also consider a similar action for the matches in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.
"All of the Super Tests and the One-day matches played in WSC were tough, and should be given international status," he said.
The organisers of the rebel matches, the South African Cricket Union, had originally deemed them first-class games, but that status was revoked by the ICC in 1993.
"The motion is a bit of housekeeping to provide clarity to the statistical community, where there is no consensus on the status of these matches," Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC media manager, told Cricinfo.
He said a decision is likely to be taken on all matches played in South Africa between 1961-62-when they ceased to be members of the Commonwealth-and 1990-91, when the ICC's ban imposed in 1970 was lifted by the ICC.
Murgatroyd added there were no plans to change the status of matches played in WSC.
"Comparing Packer's series to the rebel tours to South Africa is like comparing chalk and cheese," he said.
"The WSC matches did not follow ICC regulations on issues such as the appointment of officials and the playing conditions.
"It was organised by a body not recognised by the ICC, nor was it the relevant national cricket authority, and was in direct competition to the ICC unlike in the case of the South African rebel tours."
A total of seven rebel tours were undertaken to South Africa: two each by English, Australian and West Indian teams, and one by a Sri Lankan team.
The members of the West Indian side which toured in 1983, including the likes of Croft, Lawrence Rowe, Alvin Kallicharran, Gregory Armstrong, Richard Austin, Herbert Chang, the late Sylvester Clarke, Alvin Greenidge, Bernard Julien, Collis King, Everton Mattis, Ezra Moseley, David Murray, Albert Padmore, Franklyn Stephenson, Emmerson Trotman, and Ray Wynter were punished with life bans from Caribbean cricket.
Other international stars were more fortunate and they were banned for much shorter periods. (CMC)