Cricket South Africa (CSA) Criticised For Having Only One Black African In Their T20 World Cup Squad

Ex-South Africa Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula took to X (formerly Twitter) to question the make-up of South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

With black African player Kagiso Rabada as the sole representative, the South African cricket team appears to fall short of its diversity target.

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Cricket South Africa (CSA) is facing criticism for including only one black African player, Kagiso Rabada, in their T20 World Cup 2024 squad. South African cricket team's provisional squad of 15 players for T20 World Cup 2024 features six players of colour, meeting the requirement. 

However, across the season, the national team must field six players of colour in the playing eleven, including two from the black African community. With black African player Kagiso Rabada as the sole representative, the team appears to fall short of its diversity target.

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Apart from Rabada, the remaining players of color in South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad are Keshav Maharaj, Reeza Hendricks, Ottniel Baartman, Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin.

Lungi Ngidi, another black African player, is one of the travelling reserves but isn't included in South Africa's main playing T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

Ex-South Africa Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula took to X (formerly Twitter) to question the make-up of South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

"Only 1 African player selected in the Proteas Team for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 Team. Definitely a reserval (reversal) of the gains of transformation and doesn’t reflect fair representation of all South Africans in the national cricket team," Mbalula wrote on X.

On SABC Sport, former CSA and ICC president Ray Mali said:

"I believe a lot has been achieved, but I believe we have gone backwards in terms of cricket – we have taken a step backwards instead of going forward," said Mali.

"I cannot understand why we can’t have a (larger) number of black players in the South African cricket team at this day and age – no, it’s not acceptable.

"We have betrayed the people who asked us to negotiate unity for this country. Players are mentored or monitored right from their early days up to the top, so you know which players will represent South Africa."

South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.

Travelling reserves: Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi.