Saca welcomes recommendations

2008-06-19 17:50

Johannesburg - The South African Cricketers Association (Saca) has welcomed the recommendations on transformation announced by Cricket South Africa president Norman Arendse.

One of the most significant of the 12 recommendations put forward by the CSA transformation review committee and approved by the CSA Board abolishes the present system in terms of which the CSA president has the right to veto the selected team.

"This is something for which we have been campaigning for over a year," said Saca chief executive Tony Irish.

"This is what the players want. The most important thing for the players is to know that they have been included in the team on merit, and not because of the colour of their skin. They all accept the principle of transformation, but they want to know that they have earned the right to be in the team."

The transformation review committee was appointed earlier this year after a public row between Arendse and CSA chief executive Gerald Majola. On three occasions, Arendse vetoed the team selected for the tour of Bangladesh, on the grounds that it did not comply with CSA's transformation targets.

Selection row

Majola finally released the team to the media two days before they were scheduled to fly to Bangladesh, in defiance of Arendse. There was another selection row when fast bowler Andre Nel was left out of the team for the one-day series against India, and replaced by a black player, Charl Langeveldt.

Langeveldt withdrew from the team, saying he did not want to be chosen on the basis of his colour. He has since retired from international cricket and is playing county cricket in England.

Irish was not prepared to comment on the recommendation that the coach and captain should not be part of the selection panel, but that the selectors should consult them and have regard to their input.

"We want to study that and find out what it means," said Irish.

The review committee also recommended that CSA should implement a process that would ensure that selectors were appointed on the basis of rigorous selection procedures "to ensure that they possess the necessary experience, expertise and knowledge of the game and additionally, are trusted to ensure that the team is representative and reflects the broad ethos of democratic South Africa and the principles of CSA's transformation policy."

The committee continued: "In order to promote the principles of CSA's transformation policy, the selection panel should include black Africans."

"All we want is that the selectors should have the right cricket credentials," said Irish.

- SAPA