Cricket South Africa Criticised For Limited Diversity In T20 World Cup Team

Johannesburg, May 15: Cricket South Africa (CSA) faces criticism for not meeting its "transformational targets" as only one black African, Kagiso Rabada, is included in the T20 World Cup squad.

The 15-man provisional squad features six players of colour, including Rabada. CSA's policy mandates that six players of colour must be in the playing eleven throughout the season, with at least two from the black African community.

With Rabada being the sole black African in the squad, the national team is set to miss its target. The other players of colour are Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Ottniel Baartman. Former South Africa Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has questioned the squad's composition.

"Only 1 African player selected in the Proteas Team for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 Team. Definitely a reserval (reversal) of the gains of transformation and doesn't reflect fair representation of all South Africans in the national cricket tea," Mbalula wrote on X.

On SABC Sport, former CSA and ICC president Ray Mali expressed concerns about the direction of cricket in South Africa. "I believe a lot has been achieved, but I believe we have gone backwards in terms of cricket – we have taken a step backwards instead of going forward," said Mali.

Concerns Over Representation

"I cannot understand why we can't have a (larger) number of black players in the South African cricket team at this day and age – no, it's not acceptable. We have betrayed the people who asked us to negotiate unity for this country. Players are mentored or monitored right from their early days up to the top, so you know which players will represent South Africa," Mali added.

Selection Process and Challenges

Currently, CSA lacks a committee of selectors; head coaches Shukri Conrad (Tests) and Rob Walter (white-ball cricket) are responsible for team selection. Walter defended the chosen squad for the ICC event in Americas next month, citing insufficient depth in the domestic circuit to form a more diverse unit.

"The system needs to really up the ante so that in six months, 12 months, or two years' time, and in particular when we reach the 2027 [ODI] World Cup at home, that the demographics and the representation in our team start to look a bit different," Walter was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. Lungi Ngidi, also a black African, is one of the travelling reserves but doesn't feature in the main squad.