The news that quotas for cricket players of colour had been scrapped at national and top provincial level has been greeted with delight by all cricketers.
A decision was made at a landmark conference just outside Pretoria over the weekend where well over 150 stakeholders in cricket – captains, players, coaches and administrators – gathered to make this momentous decision.
Merit, and only merit, will be the criterion when selecting national and senior provincial teams in future.
The Transformation Monitoring Committee (TMC) which was set up in November 1998 was officially disbanded at the conference.
According to the vice-chairman of the TMC, Ray Mali, the committee had done its job over the three-and-a-half-years of its existence, but it was time to make way for new happenings in South Africa’s cricket, and the next phase in its natural progression to quality.
”The delegates at the conference were all in agreement that the committee should be scrapped,” Mali said yesterday in King William’s Town, upon his return from Pretoria.
”We’ll be building winners for the future – there’s no doubt of that,” Mali enthused.
Mali was also delighted that so many former Test players had heeded the call to attend the conference and add their invaluable input and experience.
Recently retired Test players like Andrew Hudson and Craig Matthews were mentioned by Mali.
”We’ve got to include these former Test players,” Mali said, ”They have so much to offer.” – Sapa