The general council of Cricket South Africa (CSA) has called for the crisis regarding the selection of the national team to tour Bangladesh to be resolved as a matter of urgency.
The Proteas are scheduled to fly to Bangladesh on Wednesday, but the announcement of the squad has been delayed by the row between CSA president Norman Arendse and Proteas coach Mickey Arthur.
The general council met on Saturday in an attempt to resolve the situation.
The council said in a statement issued after the meeting it had reaffirmed the CSA transformation policy relating to the national team.
The CSA transformation policy calls for seven players of colour in touring squads comprising 15 or more players. There is also a non-enforceable target of four players of colour on the field.
The council also reaffirmed the role of the president regarding the selection of the national squad for touring purposes. According to CSA procedures, the touring squad is to be presented to the CSA president to ensure that CSA policy has been met. After the president has agreed to the squad, it is sent to the CSA chief executive and media manager for release to the media.
The statement said: ”The selectors nominated by the general council and appointed by the board of Cricket South Africa are responsible for the selection of the touring squad and the team taking the field, if necessary, in consultation with the coach and the captain. The selectors are Joubert Strydom, Mustapha Khan and Shafiek Abrahams.”
The council said the national team to tour Bangladesh must be selected in accordance with CSA’s transformation policy as a matter of urgency, and presented to the president as soon as possible.
The council also said the CSA chief executive Gerald Majola should process the complaint by Arendse against Arthur in accordance with CSA disciplinary policy and procedures, in consultation with the CSA legal and governance committee, before the team left for Bangladesh.
Majola has also been called upon to investigate utterances by any CSA employee in the print and electronic media since Tuesday, and to consider whether there was any basis to charge any employee with bringing Cricket South Africa into disrepute in accordance with CSA’s disciplinary code and procedure.
The row erupted after Arendse and Arthur clashed during a conference call to discuss the selection of the national team for the tour of Bangladesh. Arendse was reported to be dissatisfied with the make-up of the team, which he said did not conform to the transformation policy. He accused Arthur of being ”disrespectful and abusive” and laid a charge against him to this effect with the CSA.
Arthur responded by saying he would lay a counter-charge against Arendse. He rejected allegations that he was not complying with the transformation policy and said the inclusion of seven players of colour in a squad of 14 was a target and not a policy,
The squad was originally scheduled to be announced on Monday or Tuesday this week, but will now probably not be made known before this Monday. — Sapa