Is it relevant to have a race-based or ethnological quota system in cricket teams?

In his autobiography – AB: The Autobiography, South Africa’ cricketing superstar AB de Villiers comes out openly talking about the ‘race’ factor involved in the cricketing universe.

“We had been assured that Cricket South Africa was the only national governing body in the country that had declined to set a target for the number of players of color to be included in the national team but there was a delicate balance to be struck and it was generally understood that, as they chose the side, the national selectors would be conscious of providing opportunities for at least four players of color,” de Villiers said.

“So what had happened? Had Vernon, who was officially classified as coloured, been selected ahead of Kyle, who was officially white, to ensure there were four players of colour in the semi-final? Or had the decision been made for purely cricketing reasons?”

“It depressed me to think of my team-mates in these outdated racial terms,” he writes. “‘Would anyone really mind if there were three or four players of colour in our side?”

His comments point out at the surprising exclusion of ‘white’ Kyle Abbott for ‘colored’ Vernon Philander. De Villiers in the penultimate chapter of his autobiography titled, “The Dreams” speaks about the most devastating moment of his career – the semi-final elimination from the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

It was for the first time that South Africa had reached the knockouts of the 50-overs tournament since taking part in the mega event for the first time in 1992. They had been long fighting to shed the infamous tag of chokers and had taken a step closer at doing so by beating Sri Lanka in the quarter-final in Sydney.

Their next fixture was against co-hosts New Zealand and the same winning team was expected to play the match, writes de Villiers in his book. But, then there was a last minute change which raised few questions.

He writes that at 5:30 pm on the night before the semi-final, half an hour before South Africa’s team meeting he got a call that Philander had passed a fitness test earlier and would play instead of Abbott. Philander, however, didn’t seem to be fully fit and bowled 8 overs at the coast of 52 runs, took no wickets and couldn’t even field for the full innings.

De Villiers says he “sensed the selectors thought Vernon would thrive in New Zealand conditions”, given his ability to move the ball off the seam on tacky surfaces. But, at the same time, he felt that “there could have been other considerations”.  The last sentence obviously points out at the quota system.

The points AB makes in his autobiography are not written with a tone of criticism and neither did he blame the decision for the loss. As he writes afterwards “We didn’t lose because of the decision to replace Kyle with Vernon but due to missed opportunities.”

It wasn’t some shocking detail. South Africa has been countering this fact since a long time. It has affected both whites and coloured cricketers. The race factor has been a part debate in South African Cricket and quota system is the core part of it.

Former South African batsman Jacques Rudolph would perhaps be a suitable person to share some memories about suffering due to the quota system. It is always a special moment for a cricketer when the day of his Test debut arrives. But, what if, you are said that your place is set to be taken by another player due to the racial quota system just as you are preparing for the big day.

Rudolph faced the same problem when the then President of Union Cricket Board of South Africa, Percy Sonn forced the team to play Ontong ahead of Rudolph as part of their racial quota policy. Ontong made his debut in the Sydney Test but the issue caused a debate.

He was later quoted by The Telegraph saying: “I’d say I didn’t justify my selection because Jacques Rudolph performed better in the warm-up games. Jacques and I are roommates, we get on very well, but I felt down for him because he deserved to play.” Ontong had said.

In fact, he never managed a permanent place while Rudolph later got his chances and went on to play 48 Tests and 45 ODIs for his national side.

This example is not about taking sides or being judgmental about one’s merit. The whites and the black both have lost opportunities on several occasions and Rudolph’s case was just to show how this attitude affects players at personal level.

England’s South Africa-born cricketing superstar Kevin Pietersen is another example of how the country has lost valuable talent due to the quota system. Players like Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock sensed the importance of having him and did the best to keep him. But, the administrators thought differently.

The consequence? Pietersen made a life-changing move to England and went on to become one of their highest run-getters. Other examples of the country losing talent can be of Roelof Van der Merve, Craig Kieswetter and Jonathan Trott. All of these players represented provincial sides but now are playing for or in different countries. Rumors are that even David Miller is looking for county assignments.

Another interesting fact that sort of shames the quota system is that Grant Elliot, the man who hit the winning runs in the chase and knocked out South Africa played for Gauteng and South Africa A before moving to New Zealand after realising that the system was possibly blocking his career.

The sentiments are deep when the black-white scenario comes into the picture. Brian Lara’s statement in the post match conference commenting about their shock loss to Kenya in the 1996 World Cup speaks about it.

Reportedly, Brian Lara had gone into the Kenyan dressing room and said, ”It wasn’t that bad losing to you guys. You are black. Know what I mean. Now a team like South Africa is a different matter altogether. You know, this white thing comes into the picture. We can’t stand losing to them.”

This fact was published the next day and Lara had to apologise for the remark consequently after a massive uproar.

What forced Lara to think that way? Maybe the quota system. Had the West Indians not faced or witnessed such race-based selections systems where the whites got more opportunities than the more talented back counterparts, then may be Lara would have not made such statements at the time.

‘Color’ has been a cause of debate and controversies right from the black – white days of cricket. The biggest and the most famous example of it can be George Headley’s appointment as West Indies’ first black captain that broke the trend of appointing a whites-only captain. West Indies Islands being formerly an English colony had a pre-set notion of appointing only whites (Brits) as the leader of the side even if he were less capable of doing so.

Things have changed for better now and the players don’t seem to be making any fuss about it but the administrators have continued with the politics.

Coming back to the South Africans, the coloured and the whites have been complimented each other over the years. Batting mainstay Hashim Amla, all-rounder JP Duminy and young guns Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma have earned widespread praise and now serve as important role models for budding cricketers in the country.

The core of the issues lies behind the closed doors from where the top men run the system. It’s about becoming sensible enough to give opportunities to players based on merit and not let the colour of the skin come in the way of justifying the talent. Cricket fans would hope that the quota system will soon be seen as a relic of the past.

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