See how many black people throng the stadium. People who know their stuff.
I don't believe that cricket could have survived in South Africa, had it remained the preserve of whites.
Jacque Kallis might be the consummate cricketing all rounder, but few black kids want to be Kallis. They want to be Rabada or Ntini. They want role models that they can relate to.
Yes, it's tough on white cricketers who may not find a place in the team. Yes, I hate it when a 'Daywood' Malan plays for England, or 'Labus-Shane' plays for Australia or Conway for NZ. But at least these guys get the opportunity.
I play hockey with someone whose 12 year old son was consistently scoring double hundreds. At least 3 English County clubs sent scouts out to watch this white kid play. Black kids don't get opportunities like that.
So yes, for the good of the game, quotas have to stay.
Here's to the next Kagiso Rabada and the next Temba.
Hello again Dave, and many thanks for the correspondence. Nono Pongolo told me how 'vital' it was when he arrived at the Lions that there were players there who looked like him and who could understand where he had come from...
You are absolutely right about the diversity of Wanderers crowds, I think we take that for granted but it is a reflection on an excellently administered venue and the though given to the crowd environment - also travel logistics etc.
I'm not sure that kids 'only' gravitate towards or adopt role models who look like them. I think success and coolness are the first criteria which attract them, no? I met plenty of black and coloured kids who wanted to be Jonty Rhodes or Allan Donald back in the day... but then, I suppose they didn't have many black or coloured role models to choose from!
As for your mate's 12-year-old son... that's the perfect age to move! Start of High School so by the time he turns 20 he's full qualified!
I think if the “quota” players are selected on merit then they are not quota. But to say they must reflect demographics is ridiculous. That would mean far too few other race groups represented. There are talented candidates from other race groups. Just choose the best players like they do in India, England and Australia.
It's all well and good telling a black or brown player that he or she is "not a quota player" but while it remains legislated there is bound to be some doubt. Even a player who knows for certain that they are playing on merit can have doubts when they experience the inevitable dip in form but remain in the team...
I can't speak for England and Australia, but India definitely don't pick the best players available. We're a country with a cricket fanbase of literally 800 million+ people, and we're still behind Australia in terms of tournament success (despite our recent success). A lot of that is down to the fact that we don't try and make our cricket as inclusive as possible at the grassroots level + the non-metro regions. There's a lot of folks who never even get a look in - regardless of talent - because of who they are or where they were born.
Hi Tarutr, I have used the Indian example in many articles over the last 10 years. I make the point that most countries and regions have inbuilt biases... even if they were (or are) subconscious. England teams contain Surrey and Yorkshire players and are less inclined to select from, say Glamorgan. Aussie teams are (or were) biased towards NSW players, Sri Lanka is riven by club snobbery, West Indies select from Barbados first and then look around... New Zealand may be the exception although South Islanders insist that they are 'second drafters'! And then there is the India caste system. Are we still allowed to refer to castes?
Yeah, i think it's an incredible important point, and honestly one of the reasons why cricket has struggled to grow outside India (compared to say football).
Of course you can still mention castes - as long as people as still being discriminated against along those lines, its important that we do mention it.
Lovely. And I agree totally. Until the feeder system is a 'level playing field' it must. The reality is that school cricket (and rugby, but i think to a lesser extent) is still very lopsided in racial terms.
What I would like to know is how many of the players of colour, particularly the black players, have made the sides directly from their underpriviliged situations where training, grounds etc have all been substandard? Talking now for the provincial and national sides. My understanding, which could be wrong, is that most, if not all, have gone to schools where they received the same coaching as the white players. So, for these players I fail to see where they need to be classed as quota players. A quota player should be someone coming from an underpriviliged area and playing his cricket there. Once he gets the same training, education etc as his white counterparts then he should no longer qualify to be looked upon as a quota player but should be picked on merit only.
Chicken and egg situation, Ed. There is no chance (at the moment) that international cricketers can come through a school and club structure from a disadvantaged area - there simply aren't the facilities or the coaching available. All we can hope for is a sufficient number of talented players who can then be moved into a private school or one of the provincial or private Academies. I can't agree that a kid who lived and schooled in a township until the age of 13, 14 or 15 and then transferred via Scholarship or Bursary to a private school is no longer from an under-privileged background.
50 years ago South Africa's test team were world beaters, capable of beating all competition. In 50 years time, it's unlikely that any cricket will be played in South Africa if the policies of the current administration continue. Setting quotas in any sport is madness and an insult to players who love the game. Their results will speak for themselves. Imagine if football in South Africa had a quota system. This is WOKE rubbish!!
Hi Ron, I understand your frustration and anger - I really do. You are not alone. I have always said that any 'artificial' element in selection in elite sport automatically removes an 'edge' from players performance. If any team has any doubt about why they, or their team-mates have been chosen, performance will be compromised. That's not my opinion - that's sports science. BUT... have you considered that the desire for demographically representative sports teams in South Africa is not just the whim of administrators and politicians? Because the truth is that sponsors and advertisers regard it is a non-negotiable prerogative. Take Capitec Bank, for example. The very vast majority of their clients are black African (I'm told). Their concerns about entering the cricket sponsorship market would be obvious with such a struggle to find black African players. And exactly the same applies to the existing sponsors. They, and their clients, all genuinely need to see diverse teams on the field. There may be wokeness and other undesirable elements involved, Ron, but it's also about money. Professional sport can't survive without the stuff... The challenge is to find better ways to develop the undeniable black talent than quotas. Sorry, 'targets'...
That makes sense about India.
Go to the Wanderers.
See how many black people throng the stadium. People who know their stuff.
I don't believe that cricket could have survived in South Africa, had it remained the preserve of whites.
Jacque Kallis might be the consummate cricketing all rounder, but few black kids want to be Kallis. They want to be Rabada or Ntini. They want role models that they can relate to.
Yes, it's tough on white cricketers who may not find a place in the team. Yes, I hate it when a 'Daywood' Malan plays for England, or 'Labus-Shane' plays for Australia or Conway for NZ. But at least these guys get the opportunity.
I play hockey with someone whose 12 year old son was consistently scoring double hundreds. At least 3 English County clubs sent scouts out to watch this white kid play. Black kids don't get opportunities like that.
So yes, for the good of the game, quotas have to stay.
Here's to the next Kagiso Rabada and the next Temba.
Hello again Dave, and many thanks for the correspondence. Nono Pongolo told me how 'vital' it was when he arrived at the Lions that there were players there who looked like him and who could understand where he had come from...
You are absolutely right about the diversity of Wanderers crowds, I think we take that for granted but it is a reflection on an excellently administered venue and the though given to the crowd environment - also travel logistics etc.
I'm not sure that kids 'only' gravitate towards or adopt role models who look like them. I think success and coolness are the first criteria which attract them, no? I met plenty of black and coloured kids who wanted to be Jonty Rhodes or Allan Donald back in the day... but then, I suppose they didn't have many black or coloured role models to choose from!
As for your mate's 12-year-old son... that's the perfect age to move! Start of High School so by the time he turns 20 he's full qualified!
I think if the “quota” players are selected on merit then they are not quota. But to say they must reflect demographics is ridiculous. That would mean far too few other race groups represented. There are talented candidates from other race groups. Just choose the best players like they do in India, England and Australia.
It's all well and good telling a black or brown player that he or she is "not a quota player" but while it remains legislated there is bound to be some doubt. Even a player who knows for certain that they are playing on merit can have doubts when they experience the inevitable dip in form but remain in the team...
I can't speak for England and Australia, but India definitely don't pick the best players available. We're a country with a cricket fanbase of literally 800 million+ people, and we're still behind Australia in terms of tournament success (despite our recent success). A lot of that is down to the fact that we don't try and make our cricket as inclusive as possible at the grassroots level + the non-metro regions. There's a lot of folks who never even get a look in - regardless of talent - because of who they are or where they were born.
Hi Tarutr, I have used the Indian example in many articles over the last 10 years. I make the point that most countries and regions have inbuilt biases... even if they were (or are) subconscious. England teams contain Surrey and Yorkshire players and are less inclined to select from, say Glamorgan. Aussie teams are (or were) biased towards NSW players, Sri Lanka is riven by club snobbery, West Indies select from Barbados first and then look around... New Zealand may be the exception although South Islanders insist that they are 'second drafters'! And then there is the India caste system. Are we still allowed to refer to castes?
Yeah, i think it's an incredible important point, and honestly one of the reasons why cricket has struggled to grow outside India (compared to say football).
Of course you can still mention castes - as long as people as still being discriminated against along those lines, its important that we do mention it.
Lovely. And I agree totally. Until the feeder system is a 'level playing field' it must. The reality is that school cricket (and rugby, but i think to a lesser extent) is still very lopsided in racial terms.
What I would like to know is how many of the players of colour, particularly the black players, have made the sides directly from their underpriviliged situations where training, grounds etc have all been substandard? Talking now for the provincial and national sides. My understanding, which could be wrong, is that most, if not all, have gone to schools where they received the same coaching as the white players. So, for these players I fail to see where they need to be classed as quota players. A quota player should be someone coming from an underpriviliged area and playing his cricket there. Once he gets the same training, education etc as his white counterparts then he should no longer qualify to be looked upon as a quota player but should be picked on merit only.
Chicken and egg situation, Ed. There is no chance (at the moment) that international cricketers can come through a school and club structure from a disadvantaged area - there simply aren't the facilities or the coaching available. All we can hope for is a sufficient number of talented players who can then be moved into a private school or one of the provincial or private Academies. I can't agree that a kid who lived and schooled in a township until the age of 13, 14 or 15 and then transferred via Scholarship or Bursary to a private school is no longer from an under-privileged background.
50 years ago South Africa's test team were world beaters, capable of beating all competition. In 50 years time, it's unlikely that any cricket will be played in South Africa if the policies of the current administration continue. Setting quotas in any sport is madness and an insult to players who love the game. Their results will speak for themselves. Imagine if football in South Africa had a quota system. This is WOKE rubbish!!
Hi Ron, I understand your frustration and anger - I really do. You are not alone. I have always said that any 'artificial' element in selection in elite sport automatically removes an 'edge' from players performance. If any team has any doubt about why they, or their team-mates have been chosen, performance will be compromised. That's not my opinion - that's sports science. BUT... have you considered that the desire for demographically representative sports teams in South Africa is not just the whim of administrators and politicians? Because the truth is that sponsors and advertisers regard it is a non-negotiable prerogative. Take Capitec Bank, for example. The very vast majority of their clients are black African (I'm told). Their concerns about entering the cricket sponsorship market would be obvious with such a struggle to find black African players. And exactly the same applies to the existing sponsors. They, and their clients, all genuinely need to see diverse teams on the field. There may be wokeness and other undesirable elements involved, Ron, but it's also about money. Professional sport can't survive without the stuff... The challenge is to find better ways to develop the undeniable black talent than quotas. Sorry, 'targets'...