AB de Villiers is not surprised that racial discrimination is being discussed within the team just days before South Africa’s hopes of winning the World Cup are fulfilled. It is a recurring situation and de Villiers, who retired in 2018, is happy that he is now just a spectator. “…it’s a shame to focus on this in the tournament. I mean it’s nothing new, it’s just a shame,” the 40-year-old de Villiers said in an interaction with PTI organised by ‘Jio Cinema’. “Luckily this time I have nothing to do there. I’m just a spectator,” the 40-year-old said in an interaction with PTI organised by ‘Jio Cinema’.
The reason for the outrage is the presence of only one black player in the squad for the T20 tournament, which will be held in the US from June 1.
South Africa is considered one of the perennial bridesmaids who give in to tough situations but has never really lived up to that tag.
And bringing a hugely divisive issue to centre stage just days before the start of their campaign is far from ideal preparation for a country with a troubled past when it comes to race relations. The Proteas play their first match against the Netherlands in New York on June 8.
Under the policy introduced in 2016, South Africa’s final XI across a season must contain six black players, including two from the Black African community.
With Kagiso Rabada being the only black African in the T20 World Cup squad, the national team is set to miss its target. Another black African, Lungi Ngidi, is also among the travelling reserve players.
Other black players include Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Ottneil Bartman.
“As usual with the South African team, there are some controversial moments just before the World Cup,” de Villiers said.
“I think it’s a good team. It’s a shame for Lungi… (he) lost a bit of form, he had a few injuries as well. Otherwise, he would probably have been in the team and there wouldn’t have been any controversy at home,” he said.
Currently, Cricket South Africa has no selectors’ committee and the team is selected by head coaches Shukri Conrad (Tests) and Rob Walter (white-ball cricket).
“Sometimes these things happen and it puts a bit of pressure on you as the selection committee, the coach and the captain,” de Villiers said.
“As far as I remember, the quota system has an average team, average numbers across the season and they don’t really look at every series, but journalists sometimes enjoy exaggerating things a bit,” he said, trying to put the matter in context.
Following the squad selection earlier this month, former sports minister Fikile Mbalula and former CSA and ICC president Ray Mali questioned the composition of the team.
“Only one African player selected in the Proteas squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 team. Certainly a reservation (reversal) of the benefits of change and does not reflect fair representation of all South Africans in the national cricket team,” Mbalula wrote on X.
Speaking on SABC Sport, Mali said sport in the country was going backwards.
“I believe a lot has been achieved but I believe in terms of cricket we have gone backwards – we have taken a step backwards instead of moving forward,” Mali said.
But de Villiers is more sympathetic to those who made the decision and said he sees nothing wrong with the process.
“Maybe they are underdogs. Maybe they are within their right to do whatever they need to do in this World Cup.
“Keeping in mind that some players were injured, some players were not in form, it is never easy,” he said.
The good thing is that South African IPL stars have performed brilliantly in the previous T20 league and this will give them confidence going forward in the World Cup as well.
Impact player rule in IPL needs to be revisited ============================== Talking about the recently-concluded IPL, de Villiers said that the impact player rule, which helped teams post 250-plus scores eight times this season, needs to be revised.
“…What I don’t like about this rule is that it includes players who have already participated in the game. This part of the rule doesn’t make sense. I think it needs to be changed fairly.
“If someone hasn’t taken part in the game, he needs to be changed. If you feel you are weak in the bowling or batting department, then it becomes a bit difficult to make a strategy and it will be more risky to change someone.” He also wants more than two fielders outside the ring in the powerplay.
He said, “I still think T20 cricket should be a batsman’s game, that’s why fans come to the grounds. They want to see the ball flying on the field and in the night sky.”
“But I still want bowlers to beat batsmen sometimes… by relaxing the restrictions in the first six overs.”
“It might be four or five runs out, I don’t know exactly, but at least the bowler can plan,” he reasoned.
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