Thieves took the items from an exhibition highlighting D'Oliveira's career in the main members pavilion at Midlands county Worcestershire's New Road ground in Worcester.

Among the stolen goods were D'Oliveira's man of the match gold medal for the 1973 Benson and Hedges Cup final against Kent at Lord's, plus a silver goblet.

His son Damien D'Oliveira, himself a former Worcestershire player and now the county's academy director, said Thursday: "These items are of great sentimental value.

"We were asked by the county's Heritage Society to lend them for a display in the pavilion during the winter.

"It is a shame someone has done this. The items are not of great value financially and we hope they will be returned."

South African born D'Oliveira played 44 Tests for England between 1966 and 1972, averaging 40 with the bat, having come to Britain to pursue a first-class career denied him in apartheid South Africa as a non-white 'Cape Coloured'.

He became Worcestershire coach after retiring as a player in 1980.

But it was for the "D'Oliveira Affair" that he became renowned when England called off their 1968 tour of South Africa after the Republic's then government objected to his inclusion in the tourists' squad.