Black Proteas player Khaya Zondo reveals how AB de Villiers sidelined him to play Dean Elgar

Part of South Africa’s squad on India tour in 2015, Khaya Zondo was primed to get his chance having performed well in the previous domestic season at home. However, when JP Duminy eventually got injured and there was to be a replacement, the player of black ethnicity was ignored and sidelined by the management with the then skipper AB de Villiers in favour of playing a Test specialist like Dean Elgar in an ODI game ahead of him. 

"I switched off mentally for the rest of the day and I detached myself from the team because it was clear I was not wanted," Zondo said, recalling his feelings on the day of the fifth ODI. 

“The hardest part was watching the players who were selected ahead of me playing and having the opportunity to shine for South Africa on a world stage, in India and having a chance to play and potentially impress and get future IPL opportunities,” added the 31-year-old Dolphins player.  

At a hearing in a special court in South Africa, it was adjudged that what the team did was wrong and discriminatory towards Zondo. The enquiry on the issue began way back in 2015 after Zondo and other black players submitted a letter to Cricket South Africa after returning from the India tour. 

However, instead of getting some respite for showcasing the courage of speaking out that he did, the then 25-year-old was mocked by the domestic players and teased as ‘Postman’ for writing the letter. 

Recalling an incident from a domestic game, Zondo said, "We were playing a game in Potchefstroom against the Lions and I was batting. I remember walking up to the guy who was bowling and I lost it. I was pointing my bat in his face. I had just been through the hardest thing any player can go through and they had no understanding of what it was like to be in that position and were making fun of it. Instead of these guys not having something to say, they saw fit to comment and belittle and ridicule. They saw it as a joke."

Zondo also praised two of his fellow black players for standing by him during tough times and also expected that other players would speak up as well. "They were the only two willing to stand by me. I hope other black players stand up for each other as they stood up for me. We would be a lot further along as black people in cricket if we stood up for each other and we didn't waver in our beliefs," said the right-handed batter who has represented South Africa in five ODIs. 

Zondo, who has been representing his domestic side Dolphins as a teenager since 2007 in all competitions thanked his coach at that time, Lance Klusener for his support. 

"If I had a weaker coach who had not experienced the harsh things that happen to players, the outcome might have been different. Lance said to me (in isiZulu): 'Khaya, you need to be tough, you need to be strong, you need to toughen up. When this is over, you will be a better man for it,’,” Zondo said. 

Lastly, the man with more than 10,000 domestic runs across all formats in more than 14 years of career asked cricketers of all races to speak against indiscrimination in the game. "I would like all players to come out and speak and give their opinion or if they have had any experience, to talk about it,” he said. 

“Privilege often makes equality seem like oppression. For equality to come into place, people need to strip themselves of privilege so they can see other people's experiences,” added Zondo.