Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has voiced his disappointment over the ongoing discussions about racial quotas in the South African cricket team, particularly in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. De Villiers, who retired in 2018, expressed his frustration that such a topic continues to dominate the narrative as the team prepares for a major tournament.
“It’s a rinse-and-repeat sort of situation,” de Villiers remarked, acknowledging the persistent nature of these debates. “It’s a shame going into a tournament to have the focus on that. I mean, it’s nothing new, it’s just a shame,” he said on Jio Cinema.
The controversy has intensified as Cricket South Africa (CSA) has been criticized for selecting only one black African player, Kagiso Rabada, in their 15-member squad for the tournament starting June 2. South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad features six players of colour, including Rabada. CSA’s policy mandates that over a season, the South African playing eleven must include six players of colour, with at least two from the black African community. However, with Rabada being the sole black African in the squad, the national team has fallen short of this target.
De Villiers, relieved to be merely a spectator in the current scenario, lamented the ongoing chatter and the scrutiny CSA faces. “Luckily this time around, I’ve had nothing to do with anything over there. I’m just a spectator,” he noted. “There are controversial moments back home as per usual with the South African squad just before a World Cup.”
The other players of colour in the squad are Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Ottniel Baartman. Lungi Ngidi, another black African, is one of the travelling reserves but is not part of the main squad. The absence of ODI captain Temba Bavuma from the T20 World Cup squad has also drawn attention.
De Villiers expressed his disappointment with Ngidi’s omission due to form and fitness issues, suggesting that his inclusion might have prevented the controversy. “I think it’s a good team. It’s a shame about Lungi… lost a bit of form, had a couple of injuries. Otherwise, he most probably would have been in the squad and there wouldn’t have been any controversial stuff back home,” he added.
Currently, CSA lacks a committee of selectors, with head coaches Shukri Conrad (Tests) and Rob Walter (ODIs and T20Is) responsible for team selection. Walter defended the 15 players chosen for the ICC event in the Americas, citing a lack of depth in the domestic circuit to assemble a more diverse team.
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