The politics of race

They arrive in India ranked as the world's leading one-day side, though an Australian team with three successive World Cups and a Champions Trophy in the cabinet might justifiably pooh-pooh that status. In the Test arena, South Africa aren't as formidable a force, though victories over India, Pakistan and New Zealand at home, and Pakistan and Bangladesh away have set them up nicely for a tilt at India, currently ranked second to Australia.

South Africa were the first team to win a series in India in over a decade, back in 2000, though subsequent match-fixing revelations that implicated Hansie Cronje overshadowed the enormity of that achievement. Subsequently, they have been far less of a force in Asia, with their last series in India (2004) characterised by listless, go-slow cricket that was in stark contrast to the brilliance shown by the Australians a month earlier.

The main difference this time will be in the bowling, with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel offering genuine pace in support of Makhaya Ntini, who has never quite convinced on his visits to the subcontinent. Ntini isn't as quick as he once was and Steyn will certainly be the prime threat, even on pitches designed to draw his sting.

But as well as South Africa bowl, their chances of victory will depend on how well the batsmen tackle Indian spin. Anil Kumble remains a potent threat on home pitches, and even if Harbhajan Singh does miss the first Test with a hamstring problem, Murali Kartik or Piyush Chawla will certainly pose problems.

But it's unlikely to be batting or bowling that poses the biggest challenge for this touring side. The question of quotas - call them by any name, but it's still the same thing - has been bubbling away for a few years now, and Andre Nel's exclusion from the squad for India has once again caused heated debate. 

Those who have watched more of South African cricket than I have can vouch for the relative merits of Nel and Charl Langeveldt, but as it did in Australia in 2001-02, the tumult over the decision has the potential to derail a side that is certainly a challenger for the number one ranking.

It's not for me or any other outsider to pick holes in South Africa's selection policy, but it does seem to be motivated by a fervent desire not to go down the rugby route. The Springboks may be world champions, but the utterances of men like Louis Luyt, Andre Markgraaf and James Small, who's alleged to have called his own team-mate a kaffir, haven't exactly helped in bridging the racial divide.

Cricket appears to have gone to the other extreme, and quite a few talented players, including someone with the initials KP, may have been lost to the South African game for ever. Even if such quotas do exist, surely things can be done in more discrete fashion, without a slanging match between the national coach and the selection committee convenor. 

What a public furore also does is heap intolerable pressure on the coloured contingent, some of whom are most certainly good enough to wear the Protea cap. They may not say so in public, but several of the players I've spoken to detest the quota tag, saying that it obscures their talent as cricketers.

Those that oppose quotas blindly though are also in the wrong. But for them, a callow young Mdingi boy might never have played for South Africa. Ntini now has only Shaun Pollock ahead of him in South Africa's all-time wicket-takers' list, and over the past decade, he's been a huge role model for kids in townships and elsewhere. That sort of transformation certainly has to be encouraged.

Comments

[Dhondy]

Hi Dileep,

How about a cracking preview? Knowing you, I betcha you are excited by the match-off between Steyn and Morkel on one hand and RP Singh, Sreesanth (and hopefully, Ishant for the last two Tests)on the other. Time to find out if Steyn is the real deal, whether India are really number two, and whether Bhajji can go through another series on soundbites alone.

[David Wijekoon-Perera]

Dileep, as a Sri Lankan, although working in Botswana, the very thought of quotas is abhorant.
But what do those Asians born in South Africa think when the Mayor of Tshwane Gwen Ramokgopa, which is part of the national capital Pretoria, suggests how Asians living in South Africa are ‘adopted Africans without much of a voice’. That is an unnecessary xenophobic comment to make by a civic leader who should know better. This follows a row in some South African newspapers that Asians who supported India when they played South Africa in the T20 tournament at Kingsmead in Durban were being ‘unpatriotic’.
Freedom of choice? Most Indians I know in South Africa, and in my job it is a lot, are most supportive of the Proteas and care when they win or lose.
They are also ashamed of what Cricket South Africa has done to Charl Langeveldt.
I take the point of Trevor Chesterfield about developing a culture, but surely this too is all about education? Currently, education in South Africa, even in a number of the the private schools, is a real mess.

[Trevor Chesterfield]

Mr Marius Roodt, like so many, you are presuming when you suggest that Joubert Strydom is an ally of Mickey Arthur. Sure they played in the same Free State team and for a time Bertie was his captain. It doesn't, however, make him an ally.
If anything, the convenor of selectors has his own, very strict policy of fair selection in the system (we'll forgive him his rugby background).
Don't be seduced by poor reporting that was coming out of Bangladesh during the tour and which is where this issue was leaked into the public domain.
A particular South African reporter on the tour of Bangladesh for South African papers was told by a CSA offical to stir as much as possible on the 'quota issue' as he could to embarrass Gerald Majola who okayed the squad, Arthur and the selection panel.
It has since blown up in CSA's face and the reporter has gone to ground in Chennai.

[Ann]

Re Pakistan's bully-boy tactics: absolutely right, Dan. Inzamam should have been banned from international cricket for life after bringing the game into disrepute. His breathtaking impertinence as to who should umpire where shows us clearly what sort of a sad excuse for a cricket captain he is.

[Ann]

Bravo, Alex and Gavrilo! Excluding any particular person because his skin is white / black / blue / striped / polka dots is racist. That's the definition of racism.

[Trevor Chesterfield]

Dileep,
Keep writing the way you see it pal.
As for myself, after spending half a life-time in South Africa, it is easy to develop an affection for the country and its peoples and the strong desire to see it grow along normal lines.
Only there are no shortcuts to solving the problem that's 200 years old (Raj occupation). When a group are denied a cricket culture, trying to develop one takes time. If parents are denied the franchise, and a decent education
for generations by an entrenched white racist apartheid system, what do they understand of their young children being involved in such a technique sport as cricket?
As it is, the mini-Bakers cricket programme has been in operation since 1982, but the young players in the township shools were not monitored the way they should have been.
I have to agree with Deviantman about the numbers: but to me why use of the term black, coloured, Asian, white/Afrikaner. Those old racist tags have gone. Hashim Amal's passport shows he is South African, Monde Zondeki is South African, Ashwell Prince and Makhay Nitini are South Africa; so are Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn.
Writing about the Asian Hashim Amla, is to me an afront to the man and his background; as it is the term coloured to Charl Langeveld.
By the way, do the readers know that Andre Nel and Langeveldt are the best of buddies and their families often visit each other?
Selection has to be merit-based, but it also needs time to develop skilled players at this level.
Rugby is, and has always been a white protective society with a klu klax klan paranoia and the sooner that sport dies the better for the country as it is devisive of a national identity.
Rugby's history in South Africa has a biggoted past: the 1981 tour of New Zealand (which is where I am from)is an example. How New Zealand allowed an apartheid nation to send their all white team across and how they were protected from protests while in South Africa, the ANC and PAC and the anti-apartheid groups were being rounded up and being tortured, is a disgrace of that era; it is of white racist supremacy and Kiwis need to be reminded of those months of shame.
Cricket has a long history of devolvement among all people to create a common identity. The pity is that you cannot rush it, but the cricket culture will develop and with it the nation will grow and the players and nation's representivity will be seen. Already the franchise teams and second tire first-class teams have a growing demographic mix. You can see it each season. It is progress and that is more than you had a decade ago when there was none.
Lastly, it will be interesting to see how the South African bowlers handle the SG ball as they are so used to the Kookaburra.
Your old pal, Chesters
Moratuwa
Sri Lanka

[lod]

Dileep, I remember a really lovely piece you wrote sometime back on cricinfo on this issue - where you talked about all the black players who missed out in the apartheid days. Maybe you could link to it?

The national cricket team has to represent the nation. More power to SA - have nothing against quotas, as long as it's done properly, and they make sure there are black players in domestic cricket. But of course, the cricket in this case has to be put in a larger political context, cricket mirrors society - this is only proper.

[Alex]

Dileep
As an Indian who is used to the quota system[in education, jobs and cricket]I think SA is sadly repeating our mistakes.Years ago,an Indian changed the history of India and the world by staging his first protest against discrimination while he was a lawyer in South Africa-Mr Gandhi.On that day he protested against the act of being thrown out of a first class cabin in a train- as he was not a white,he was not supposed to sit there.
Discrimination on the basis of skin colour-whether it;s against blacks,colured or even whites-is wrong.
The best person should get the post.
[when will India accept this simple truth!?]

[Deviantman]

A national team represents the nation. And that's precisely what's wrong with South African teams. South Africa has a population of 47 million, of whom 80% are black, and 9% are coloured - that's 89% of the coutnry. Only 8% are white. But when you see an SA team playing, you'd think they are 99% white.

That gives the wrong impression to the world. Someone in South America, the US or Europe with little knowledge of geography would assume that SA is a white majority country. Or, worse, that the blacks in SA are simply not good enough.

The SA rugby coaches have an amzingly stupid excuse for not picking black players at any level - they say black players aren't strong enough physically! Are they idiots or what? Or do they think the rest of the world are idiots?

In the top level of SA rubgy - comprising 15 players - there are no black players. But what is shameful, and annoying, is that at the next level - comprising 121 players - there are just 4 blacks.

The SA problem is that they had a soft and benign president like Nelson Mandela, who allowed SA rugby to retain the name Springboks, while the rest of the South African sporting federations use the term Proteas.

Mandela gave SA rugby a long leash. The whites don't want blacks or others in their game. James Small, a white player, used to yell at Chester Williams (a black player, who was one of the architects of the 1995 world cup win), saying, "Why are you playing our game?"

The problem with white South Africans is they just don't get it. The country belongs to the blacks. Forget quotas, not one white should be on SA teams. The whites live in SA at the pleasure of the blacks. Would they like the blacks to treat them the same way they treated the blacks?

Norman Arendse is doing the right thing. He wants the SA cricket team to have more blacks and non-whites. If you can have quotas in other walks of life, why not in sport, when sport is clearly more representative of a nation's life. And in fact, isn't sport a business just like another activity? So what's wrong with quotas in other sports?

If the blacks finally decide to take things in their hands, not one white would live to tell.

[Gavrilo Prinzip]

Sorry Dileep, I was against picking players based on the colour of their skin during apartheid and am equally offended by it now. I supported the boycott of racist teams before and call for it again. As an englishman I am against playing any team that dicriminates against a cricketer because of the colour of his skin or so called race if he is not defined as human race!

[N Beddington]

The Nel issue illustrates that SA team selection is not based on player performance but on the colour of the player's skin - this has been admitted by a spokesman for the SA cricket authorities.

So how does the ICC allow this to continue?

It appears that it is totally acceptable for the SA cricket authorities to exclude white players on the grounds of race

[Dan Patel]

HAIR today gone tomorrow?

Pity poor Darrell Hair. Now Pakistan's great and fair 'Mr.Inzzie' is insisting that Darrell Hair never be allowed to officiate a game where Pakistan is playing.

Is that so?

Why is it that the Pakistanis are always so badly done by everyone else. Talk about using the race card.

I don't see India or Sri Lanka asking for Mr.Hair to be banned.

Has this poor soul not suffered enough?

Pakistan should rule themselves out of International cricket if they can't play by the rules.

School yard bully tactics will not work in International cricket.

Capiche Mr.Inzzie !!!

[Marius Roodt]

OK, maybe you don't have an anti-SA bias, but you wrote an entry a little while ago, talking about all the Test teams greatest achievements over the past couple of years, the only teams you failed to talk about were SA, Zim and the Banglas. That annoyed me.

And Dan, I'm not arguing with you, as a white South African, I fully know about the racism that exists against non-blacks on this continent. However, I just don't think we can jump to conclusions everytime a white guy is left out for a coloured or black fellow. Johan Botha was dropped for Robin Peterson, there was no song and dance made there, but it was a purely cricket decision, maybe this was the case with the Nel-Langeveldt issue.

And Langeveldt has pulled out of the team to tour India. Good on him. Shades of Tom Cartwright and Basil D'Oliviera anybody?

[Dan Patel]

Now come on Marius, why would Dileep an Indian, have an anti SA bias.Surely it cannot be for race or for or quota system.

Nel was dropped on quota reasons whether you like it or not.I am a 3rd. generation Uganda Indian. You can feed him porkies but not me, for sure.

Surely we both know know how Africa functions nowadays, don't we?

You and I both know very well that 'legal' racism is alive and well in Africa to further the cause of the Africans,merited or not.

[Dileep]

That certainly was sloppy, Marius. Perhaps I was thinking of the many scrapes between the team management and Haroon Lorgat when I wrote it.
As for Langeveldt, your theory is sound except for the fact that South Africa are playing at three of the hottest venues in India. We'll be lucky to see so much as a cloud, and chances of any swing are pretty dim. Does Langeveldt offer anything if the ball doesn't swing?
As for the anti-SA bias, I don't know where you got that idea from. As it says up top, this is primarily a south Asian blog, and South Africa will certainly be written about once they're in India. They're a young, exciting team though I have my doubts about the batting line-up, especially on slow pitches against Anil Kumble.

[Marius Roodt]

Sloppy research, Dileep, there was no slanging match between the national coach, and the selection convenor. It was between the coach and the President of Cricket SA, Norman Arendse. In fact, I would call the selection convenor, Joubert Strydom, an ally of coach Mickey Arthur.

Surprised to see you forgot your anti-SA bias long enough to write an article about SA. The merits of your article have however, been overshadowed by that convenor slip, which an experienced journalist shouldn't have made.

And whether Nel was dropped on quota reasons is up to debate. Langeveldt's swing bowling may well be a better option, than Nel's bang-it-in style of bowling on Indian pitches. Nel isn't quick enough and doesn't swing it enough to be a threat on Indian pitches, in my opinion.