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Reason for criticism of South African team
Only one black African, Kagiso Rabada, has been selected in South Africa’s 15-member T20 World Cup squad, which led to criticism. According to Cricket South Africa’s policy, South Africa’s playing XI in a season should have six black players, at least two of whom should be from the black African community.
Apart from Rabada, the other five black players in the team selected for the T20 World Cup are Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabrez Shamsi and Otniel Bartman. However, Lungi Ngidi, another black African player, is not included in the main team and is only included in the traveling reserve.
In addition, ODI captain Temba Bavuma has also not been selected for the T20 World Cup, which has further increased the controversy.
AB de Villiers comments on racial quota ahead of T20 World Cup
De Villiers said in a statement on Jio Cinema, “It’s a shame to focus on this in a tournament. I mean it’s nothing new, it’s just a shame. Fortunately this time I have nothing to do with anything there. I’m just a spectator.”
De Villiers also expressed his disappointment over Ngidi not being included in the main team. He said that Ngidi could not be selected due to his form and fitness problems, otherwise the controversy would not have escalated.
He said, “I think this is a good team. It’s a shame for Lungi… his form has deteriorated a bit, he has also suffered some injuries. Otherwise, he would probably have been in the team and there would have been no controversial talk at home.”
Cricket South Africa (CSA)’s clarification on team selection
Currently, CSA lacks a selector’s committee, due to which the team is selected by head coach Shukri Conrad for Test matches and Rob Walter for ODIs and T20 matches. Walter defended the team selected for the T20 World Cup, saying that the domestic circuit lacks depth to form a more diverse team. He said, “We do not have enough depth at the domestic level to fully follow our selection policy.”
The team includes many prominent players, but the controversy over CSA’s selection policy and racial quota has once again brought South African cricket into the limelight. De Villiers’ statement has come at a time when the team is preparing for the World Cup and such discussions can have a negative impact on the team’s concentration.
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